Break the Rules, Pay the Price
by MSquared79
Summary: What if Ziva had told Tony sooner about the baby? How would it have affected them and the team, especially when fate takes a tragic turn?
1. Chapter 1

Okay, would it sound crazy if I admit the idea for this story came from the thought I had about Ziva not being at Jackson Gibbs' funeral? And then I realized she may have been giving birth to Tali at that time. And from there it sprung.

I tend to write fanfictions where I like the story but to a point and then I feel the overwhelming need to fix it because the writers screwed it up. Fine, in this case, the actress left the show, but it still burns with the amount of stupid they heaped on. So, it didn't happen. My head!cannon.

So, turn the clock back to 2013. Yes, Ziva chose to stay in Israel, but events have conspired to change her mind. Unfortunately it may be too late. Will fate be cruel and take their second chance away?

She was surprised, but at the same time, she wasn't. She knew what she should do, but she didn't know what to do. She wanted to go home, but she wanted to run away.

 _Well,_ she thought, _I have already run away. How much further can I go from DC than Tel Aviv?_ She recognized her own confused state and let out a breath. Her life had been so ordered, so disciplined, before her father had sent her to Washington, to clean up a mess that had been years in the making. It was there that she had met them, these people who had become more her family then the one she had by blood. McGee and Abby and Ducky and Palmer and Gibbs…

And Tony.

Ziva closed her eyes and let out a soft cry. She had hurt so many in her life and him most of all. Why hadn't she gone back with him? He wanted her to. _He loved her!_ He may not have said it, but she knew it was true. And now, that was all ruined.

But a little voice inside told her it was not. She still had time to correct her mistakes. She still had time to run to him, tell him she was wrong and that she wanted to be with him.

Tell him he was going to be a father.

She laughed at that thought. He had the maturity of a twelve year old! He eyed up every woman who walked past him. He was a slob, a, a whiner, a hundred other things...but was he really? She had seen his apartment and it was immaculate. He was the one who had come after her, rescued her when her own father had left her for dead.

That was the first time she thought there was more to their relationship. The first time she thought he might…

She had dismissed it, of course. They were exact opposites. She took everything in life seriously, he made a joke out of everyday living. And that was the man who was the father of her unborn child.

Ziva wondered briefly what her father would think about this situation. While he would have been been thrilled at being a grandfather, she was well aware of Eli's opinion of Anthony DiNozzo. It had never been high and after Michael Rivkin's death, well, she remembered how it was when they met in Israel.

Thinking of her father led her, for some reason, to think about Anthony DiNozzo, Senior. While he was no paragon of fatherhood, having heard all the stories, he would be thrilled with the latest development. Ziva knew the older man's affection for her and he had tried to push them together at times.

With fathers still on her mind, she thought of the one man both she and Tony looked to with the respect and affection children should have for their fathers, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. She wasn't sure what his reaction would be. Would he be happy for them? Would be be pissed? They had broken Rule 12, although technically they were not co-workers now.

She could not get Gibbs out of her mind after the initial thought. She tried, but he haunted her even more than Tony. It drove her, at last, to her computer, to book a flight. She needed direction and her taciturn former boss, she hoped, would provide it.

By the time the plane touched down at Dulles the next day, she had changed her mind, at least a little bit. She got in her rental car and drove in the direction of Tony's apartment. Ziva parked across the street and waited for him to get home. It was a little after five when he finally showed. Tony was getting out of his car, phone to his ear and a wide grin on his face. It looked like he was talking to a woman, by the goofy expression on his face. A spike of jealousy flared in her until she realized she had no right to it. She had let him go, when he was desperate to hold on. No, she decided, she would not be that woman.

She was almost ready to head straight back to the airport, straight back to Tel Aviv, but her body steered the car to a small, dark house, one that she noted had an empty driveway. It didn't matter, though, as she found herself getting out of the car and reaching for the doorknob. As she had expected, it turned freely, having been left unlocked, its usual state. She was about to turn to the door that led to the basement, but a flash of memory stopped her. She heard her brother's voice, Ari's voice, taunting Gibbs, revealing her father's nature, at least as he had seen it. Eli David was certainly aware of the strategy Ari had laid out, but she still was not convinced it was true, even after all these years.

Instead, she made her way to the couch, in front of the window. It had pillows and a blanket at one end, evidence that it was still being used as Gibbs' primary rack. Exhaustion finally got the better of her as she collapsed onto the couch, threw the pillows under her head, pulled the blanket over her and drifted off to sleep.

She didn't know how long she had slept when she felt the hand on her shoulder, gently nudging her. She didn't want to open her eyes and face him. She didn't want those eyes drill into her very soul. But another nudge made her realize she had to face it, whatever it was.

Gibbs was crouching at the side of the couch, his face as unreadable as ever. She kept her face neutral, a struggle to do so. For a long moment, neither spoke. But then she ventured a word, whispered, hesitant. "Gibbs."

He nodded his head. "Ziva," came the reply.

"I'm sorry." Another rule broken, this time Rule 6.

"Nothing to be sorry about. You needed time. I know the feeling." He looked to his side, then back at her. They shared so many secrets, she and Gibb, going back to the one no one, not Jenny Shepard, his ex-lover; Ducky, his long time friend; Tim or Abby or Tony, who had worked with him longer than she, had known.

Now they would share another, at least for the time being. But before she could form the words, she straightened her body, putting her feet on the floor to stand. He watched her, but to her surprise, his expression remained the same. She laid her hand on her belly as she looked back to him. She had no word to say, as they all seemed to die in her mouth.

Finally, the human Sphinx, the functional mute as Tony called him, opened his mouth, his words shocking her even more. "Does he know?" She shook her head, still silent. Gibbs let out a heavy sigh, looking heavenward momentarily. "Well, what are you going to do about it?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note:_ _I'm trying to do every chapter as the point of view of each of the main characters. I do get around to almost everyone including at least one recurring character, but some will have more than others. I find it's easy because I hear the characters when I write, the actors, embodying my words and situations._

 _Gibbs is a main factor in this story. Both rely on him and he offers his help, not as reluctantly as he makes it seem. He'll have a lot going on in the story, the pivot for all the characters really._

 _Enjoy this chapter. Please, comment. They really are the lifeblood of writers._

When Ziva remained close-mouthed, Gibbs did what he did every other night. He made his way down to his basement, opened the bottle of Bourbon and poured some into the cleanest receptacle. Tonight, it was a coffee mug with USMC on it. Ziva followed him, still silent, as if she had been naughty. He took a sip by the time she hit the bottom step, knowing it would be a long night. He had his back to her, waiting for her say something. It was strange for him to be the more talkative one in the room.

He put the mug down and picked up a piece of sandpaper. She would have to say the next word, he would not.

She seemed to be gathering her thoughts. Out of all of them, Ziva was the most like him, quiet, controlled. But then, she seemed to lose that control, as a strangled sob broke out of her. He knew she wasn't doing it to garner pity from him. Ziva was more often cold than not and didn't let her emotions get the better of her unless they overwhelmed her. But, of course he reasoned, her hormones were also playing into it.

The sobs stopped as fast as they had started. She looked to him, answering an unasked question. "It was the only time, Gibbs."

"You're an adult. None of my business."

"I am just saying this because, well, we didn't break the rule," she explained.

"Like I said, doesn't matter to me." It did, a little bit. She may not be an NCIS agent anymore, but he still thought of her as being on his team.

"It should!" she cried out, the emotions slipping again.

"Why?" he asked, genuinely wondering. "You made your decision. You, and McGee and DiNozzo left. You resigned and you left. Awfully quickly from the way I remembered it." He pointed at her, singling her out. She had been the one to go back to Israel. He had to take a breath. It took a lot for him to this angry.

"We did it to support you! To stand with YOU!" The tears were falling, full and fast now. "And Tony...Tony was coming to Israel. He was coming to see me, to be with ME when his apartment got shot up. I had just communicated with him and he told me he was heading to the airport. When he did not show up at Ben Gurion, I knew something was wrong. I was on the way to Mossad when they came for me. They were taken care of," she shrugged, offering him a slight smile as she calmed down, "but I had to hide. I intended for no one to find me but Tony, he found me. I knew he would find me. He wouldn't stop until he succeeded."

"None of would, given the chance."

She nodded in agreement. "He begged me to come back, before he got on the plane." Her body shook now, the full force of reality hitting her. "Why didn't I come back with him?"

It finally got to him, her pain. He gathered her up in his arms and tried to soothe her, to calm her tears. He'd watched the push/pull of them for years, from the Benoit sting to the Rivkin attack, from Israel to Somalia and all over DC. There were times they couldn't stand being together, but they could never stay apart.

As her tears subsided, he pulled away from her. "You have to tell him."

"He's a manchild, a clown."

"It's an act. It's always been an act." She looked up at Gibbs. "Believe me, I knew it the second I met him. Rule 5."

"I know," she agreed. "I just needed to hear someone else say it." She looked around the basement. No boat was there, but some small projects were on the workbench. "But not tonight. I'm still on Tel Aviv time." There was a pause, then she added, "How has he been?"

Gibbs shrugged. "There was a rough patch or two there." He could feel her eyes on him, so he turned to her. "Few months ago, he was up straight for four days. Jumped down the throats of people who were sitting at your desk." A pause, then he admitted, "It was worse than the last time."

That made her laugh for some reason. "When Jenny asked me to come join NCIS, I went to sit at that desk and Tony...took it personally." Another chuckle. "Who would have thought where it would all go." Ziva looked down at her stomach again then yawned.

"You know where to bedrooms are," he said as he turned to his crafts. "If you want me to…"

"No, don't tell him I'm here. I need another day to gather my wool," she told him as she headed up the stairs.

"It's thoughts," Gibbs replied, a small smile on his face. He knew it was an intentional slip, a comforting reaction for her to remind her of her goal. "I can keep my mouth shut as long as you need me to."

"I know. Thank you," was all he heard from her as she turned the corner to head to the second level.

Gibbs poured himself another drink. Something in his gut told him he should call DiNozzo now, to hell with what she wanted. He had a right to know, to have every moment he could get. _Why am I thinking that?_ a voice inside him asked, as a pit formed in his stomach. He shook his head, trying to wave off the feeling.

He was about to turn back to his project when he went to a drawer off to the side. He was suddenly overcome with memories of Shannon and Kelly, of time lost and never able to be gotten back. He often thought of Kelly when he was around the kids. Abby, Tony, McGee and Ziva had become his kids over the years, he had admitted a long time ago, after he had returned from his 'retirement' and he would have loved for her to know them.

His phone rang suddenly, drawing him out of his memories. "Yeah, Gibbs," he answered.

"Hey Boss," Tony's voice replied from the other side. "I got a break from an old colleague I have in Baltimore. Seems our lance corporal had been seen there recently. Facial recognition caught him on a camera in one of the lovelier neighborhoods Charm City has to offer." The jokey sarcasm that was DiNozzo's speciality dripped like Niagra Falls. "I was just about to head there."

Gibbs looked up, remembering that Ziva was a story above his head. He sighed. "I'll swing by and pick you up. Give McGee and Bishop a head's up and see if they can tap into the Baltimore PD network from the office, follow the suspect."

"Okay, see you soon." DiNozzo ended the call and Gibbs headed upstairs. Before he walked out of the house, he looked to his left, to where Ziva was. He paused then quietly ascended the stairs. The door to the master bedroom was open a crack, allowing him to peek inside. Ziva was there, on the bed, appearing to be fast asleep. Making his way back to the living room, he scratched out a note for her, telling her he got a lead on the latest case and that he'd call her when he got to the office. Then, he headed to his car.


	3. Chapter 3

_Ah, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo! Yeah, he's going to be rather, um, tied up a portion of the story. A little angst goes a long way. I was going to go in one direction. But, as I rewatched the eleventh season, I decided to cut back, as to not repeat a lot that was dealt with on-screen._

 _To channel the man and his love of movies, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"_

 _Read, review and enjoy!_

With Gibbs driving, it was a half-hour to Baltimore and, surprise, surprise, it was a quiet half-hour, which made Tony uncomfortable. A chatterbox by nature, he worked hard to control himself, especially if he was alone with the boss. But tonight, it felt different for some reason and he was working on figuring it out.

"Sorry to interrupt your latest project, Boss, but my buddy, he's been on a stakeout when he noticed Wren from the BOLO." Lance Corporal Wren had become the prime suspect in the murder of a known drug-dealing sergeant at Quantico, their latest case. "And the neighborhood, well, let's just say it's seen better days." Tony looked up at Gibbs and noticed the focused attention to the road. "Again, sorry to interrupt."

"Nothing to interrupt, DiNozzo. You get in touch with McGee?"

Tony checked his phone and saw a message there. "McGeek is in the building." He hit the call button on his phone and, as it rang, turned on the speaker. "You got anything new?"

"Cross-checking the GPS signals and, yep, seems the lead is good. But, guys, be careful. Baltimore PD got at least three reports of gunshots from that vicinity in the last hour alone," Tim warned from the Navy Yard.

"Keep us updated," Gibbs replied shortly.

Tony noticed the look and disconnected the call. "Maybe we should call for more backup. My gut's telling me we're gonna need stealth and, quite frankly, there's times that's not us. Makes me wish that…" His voice faded off, unable to complete the sentence. He looked over at the older man again, who seemed to know how that sentence was going to end.

He didn't notice the grimace that confirmed Tony's assumption.

Five months had passed and it was still unbelievable to Tony. He knew that she knew how important she was to all of them. A sister to McGee and Abby, a daughter to Gibbs and to him…

He shook the thought out of his head. She had been through alot in the past year, starting when Eli David had made an unannounced visit to DC. It had been, ironically enough, under a banner of peace to Israel's long-time enemy, Iran, and had cost the Mossad director his life. Tony still heard her scream of "Abba" sometimes when he closed his eyes. Then to learn that the murderer had been one of her own, a man who thought himself family to the Davids. On top of all that, there had been an IG witch hunt of the agency that had ended with the resignations of McGee, her and himself...and it had all been a set-up. In the end, they had all survived...or nearly so.

It still wasn't making sense to him why she had stayed. Oh, Ziva claimed it was for Gibbs, but he still didn't completely understand it, or believe it. Didn't she know how much pain her staying away was causing the boss? Causing all of them?

"Have you heard from her?" Tony asked.

"Nope," came the answer, too quickly for his liking. It was as if Gibbs had been expecting him to ask and wanted to get it off his chest. Tony's spidey senses prickled, eying his boss more than before.

But he couldn't ask anything further because Gibbs stopped the car. Tony looked around and saw an unmarked car across from them. It screamed cop so the two of them got out and approached.

Sure enough, it was. "DiNozzo, long time," said the burly, balding man in the driver's seat.

"McMann, Gibbs. Gibbs, McMann," Tony introduced.

"You saw the suspect going in here?" the boss asked, tilting his head in the direction of a derelict house. Tony brought the photo up on his phone to help out.

"Lance Corporal Howard Wren. Yep, that's the guy," McMann answered. "Are the cases related? I've been keeping an eye out here for for a while with my case, so it's not like they couldn't be, the way this place has gone."

"Not sure. Could be just a coincidence," Tony answered.

"Remember Rule 39," Gibbs reminded him.

When the cop gave them a confused look, Tony informed him. "'There's no such thing as coincidences.' Look, let us check it out. You alert us if anyone come out and we'll call if me need help."

Neither waited for a reply, heading for the darkened building. Guns drawn and flashlights on, they proceeded with caution. The door was unlocked, _not like th_ e _re's any reason to around here,_ Tony thought, giving off a creepier than normal vibe. Tony nodded his chin in one direction, which he headed, while the boss went in the other one. The layout made them do a big circle on the first level, bringing them to a back staircase.

It was Gibbs' turn to nodded and Tony got it, heading up and opening the first door he got to. It was clear. He turned back to the next door, pushing it gently.

He heard the first shot above his head and let off two of his own. Three more shots came at him wildly. The first one of those grazed his shoulder luckily. But then he felt the lead hit him in the side just under his arm, and then the stomach. Somehow he managed to get another one off, hearing a scream of pain. He thought he was in the clear, when two more hit him and he began to lose consciousness.

Footsteps pounded in his direction and he heard at least five more rounds. He knew it was Gibbs, instinctively and he knew the shooter was dead. Marine sharp-shooters don't miss at that close a range. _Hell, they don't miss at any range really,_ he thought as he felt himself slipping away.

Before he was totally gone, he heard Gibbs call his name, demand that he stay awake. He tried to follow orders, like the good soldier he had become over the last decade, but it was getting tough. Again, Gibbs' voice implored him, but it was not going to work. _Sorry, Boss, but I can't any longer._

He took two more breaths and closed his eyes. From a vast distance, he heard the voice of Leroy Jethro Gibbs say one last thing. He didn't know what it was, exactly. He thought he heard him say her name, but that didn't make sense. Tony had asked him not thirty minutes ago if he'd heard from her and his answer had been no. Why would he say her name now?

It was his very last thought.


	4. Chapter 4

_Reunions! Abby and Ziva! Ducky and Ziva! Tim and Ziva...uh oh. Not saying any more. Nope, not even if you shoot me up with truth serum, Saleem. ("Truth and Consequence" is becoming one of my favorite NCIS episodes, Tiva-ness aside. And don't tell me Tony didn't have the same thoughts now that he did then regarding her. Nope, not gonna believe it.)_

 _Reviews are always loved and wanted._

One of the things Ziva had hated most was the time difference. It had always played havoc with her, no matter how used to it she had gotten. So here she was, awakened suddenly despite how tired she had been only a little while ago. It was another half-hour of tossing and turning until she finally gave up.

There she lay, thinking everything over. She knew what she had to do and she knew she had to do it now, lest she turkey out again. _Turkey? No, not turkey._ For a second, she wished he was there, correcting her like he always did. American idioms were still her weakest point of the language and she could always be assured Tony would correct her on them.

She got up and got ready to leave, ready to go back to his apartment, but before she could do so, her phone beeped. She hurried to it, hoping so much that it was him. Sadly, she was disappointed, but not entirely.

Not Tony, but Abby, had texted her. 'Been awhile, haven't heard from you, miss you,' followed by three emojis of skulls with bows on their heads smiling. It gave her a thought. Besides, if anyone other than Tony would be pissed at her treatment of them over recent times, it was Abby.

'Where are you?' she sent back.

'Office. Major mass spec is being naughty with a sample El Jefe needs.'

'Want a surprise?'

It took a minute for the answer to come back. 'Always.'

Ziva was out the door in an instant, rushing without a word into the basement. Silently, she prayed that not only was Abby working late, but McGee too, maybe even Ducky. They at least could blunt any the fury that Abby could unleash.

It wasn't a long trip to the Navy Yard and she was pleasantly surprised that the guard at the front gate waved her in so quickly. She entered the NCIS building and the same night shift security officer who had been there for the past eight years offered her a warm smile. She explained she was just here to visit and he handed her a badge. Just before she got on the elevator to go down to Abby's lab, her phone beeped again. 'You still there? What surprise?'

She got in the elevator, smiling as she typed out, 'Turn around in ten seconds.'

It felt like it took a little less time than that to descend down. But the elevator had stopped, and she exited into the forensic lab. She saw Abby with her back to her. "Surprise!" Ziva called out as cheerfully as she could manage, under all the circumstances.

Abby swiveled around and her eyes grew wide. She was frozen that way for a second and then had Ziva wrapped up in and embrace, towering over her in her usual platform boots. "ZIVAAAAA!" She shook her a little too hard for her liking, but didn't say anything. Then the tech began her babbling, as expected. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're here! When did you get in? Where have you been? Does Gibbs know you're here? Do Tony and McGee? I can't believe you're here!"

Ziva felt a laugh bubbling up. She prayed that Abby Sciuto never changed. She pulled away just a little bit to answer as many questions as she could. "I just got in a few hours ago. I've been in Israel the whole time." Those were the easy questions. Ziva paused, unsure of how to answer the next one truthfully so she skipped it. "No, neither Tony or Tim know I'm here."

"Oh, my god, oh my god. This is just the weirdest thing ever. And for me, that's saying a lot. Like, I just thought of you and you magically appeared." Abby turned away from her, walking to one her machines. "Major mass spec, I forgive your tantrum. If it brought Ziva back, you get a major pass. Well, not a major pass, 'cause Gibbs still needs those results." She turned around quickly again, but her smile changed immediately. "Have you been putting on weight? Your face looks a little fuller and your," she made a gesture of breasts, "they look a little bigger."

Ziva took a deep breath and was about to answer when they were interrupted. "Abigail, Mr. Palmer found some unknown substance under our dead sergeant's fingernails and in his rush to get back to Breena, forgot to bring it to you. You know, there are times that young man-" Ducky said before stopping short. "Ziva? My girl, it is a surprise to see you! A wonderful surprise, to be sure as I didn't think...well, I certainly hoped...are you here for a visit or maybe something more?" The last line was said with a note of hope, she recognized.

"I was just about to tell her…" Ziva began, her voice growing quiet. "Um, since you are still here, maybe is Gibbs or Tony?"

"Miss Bishop sent word that Tony got a lead on our latest case and he and Gibbs were going to investigate it," Ducky told her. He turned back to Ziva. "She came on, oh, a few months ago," Then he returned his attention to Abby. "Meanwhile, McGee was still here, doing his thing with technology."

"Hi, Duck, not that I am not happy that you brought me something else for Major mass spec, but I was just asking Ziva some questions when you interrupted," Abby informed him, as pleasantly as she could, since Ziva heard the underlying fury that had crept into her voice. She could tell Abby wanted answers, and wanted them now.

Ducky may not have heard her, as he seemed to be examining her from head to toe. If anyone else would see the signs besides Abby and Gibbs, it would be the good doctor. "Oh my," he gasped.

It only took a minute for Abby to catch on. Remembering what she had asked before Ducky came in, her eyes narrowed. "You bitch!" Abby yelled and Ziva winced. She had figured it out, at least the basics. "How dare you betray us, especially…" She was growing so furious she couldn't finish the sentence, pointing and waving her finger as she did.

Ziva realized what the other woman was thinking. "Abby you've got the wrong end of the…" Her mind just went blank, not being able to think of anything to fill in there. She closed her eyes not thinking of what she was saying until it was out there. "It's not what you think. Really, I need...I should...talk to Tony first."

Another body thudding against hers made her open her eyes. Abby, once again, had her arms wrapped around her. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I KNEW IT!" Abby screamed, becoming more hyper than Ziva had ever seen her. "I told McGee years ago, when we went to Mexico, that something was up between the two of you! He owes me, like, a thousand bucks now!" Ducky gave her a strange look. "Oh, when they went to Paris to bring back the whistleblower and each told us that the other had slept on the couch. Totally knew it back then."

Images of Paris flickered through her mind. Nothing had happened really, much beyond a scooter ride through the city, with Tony rattling off romantic movies that had been shot there as they passed them. But in spite of it all, there had been something there...just not what Abby was thinking "Abby," she intoned.

But she obviously didn't hear it. She grabbed Ziva by the hand and dragged her to the elevator, Ducky following behind them. When it reached the bullpen, Abby continued to to pull her around like a ragdoll until they stood in front of McGee desk. Another woman, pretty, blond, was there already beside him, a look of concern on her face. "And where have they taken him?" McGee asked, scribbling something a post it. "I'll be there as fast as I can, Boss. Yeah, I agree, I'm not telling Abby anything yet, though. We know how she gets with these things." There was a pause. "Why do I need to get anything at your house? No, of course, it's just-" The call must have ended very shortly, as Ziva did not hear anything else on the other end of the line. "It doesn't make sense," he finished unnecessarily.

It was too late. Abby had heard her name mentioned as soon as Tim had said it. Her lip was quivering an instant later. "McGee…?"

"Abby?" he said, shock and sadness in his voice. Then his eyes darted to her right. "Ziva! What are…? When did you…?" A realization seemed to hit him like a thunderbolt.

Ziva compiled the evidence she had heard from McGee's end of the call. First, she knew he had been speaking to Gibbs, as he had said 'boss.' Next, she knew that Gibbs had brought Tony with him along, so unless there was anyone else new to the team besides this Miss Bishop Ducky had mentioned, and assuming the blond was that woman, Ziva knew who was at the scene. Lastly, Gibbs had told McGee to go to his house for something and bring it along with him. The only thing she could think of was herself. That was when she finally ventured a look at the note Tim had written out. It was the name of a hospital, a trauma center, in Baltimore.

She let out a gasp and stepped back, until she hit the chair at the desk beside Tim's. Tony's desk, Tony's chair. Her hand shot out, making sure it was under her before she went down. It was steadied because someone was holding it for her when she finally collapsed.

It was in that moment she regretted waiting so long to come home.


	5. Chapter 5

_Tim McGee really has the best 'deer in the headlights' look. And he puts it to good use here. There are a lot of echoes to "Shabbat Shalom" in this chapter but it couldn't be helped._

 _I always really hated that episode more than most. Yes, it was powerful, but it spun Ziva off way too much. I also really liked the character of Eli David, even if he was a right bastard much of the time. And him being dead puts a crimp in any Tony/Eli and Senior/Eli scenes. Come on, imagine Eli digesting the thought of Tony DiNozzo as the father of his grandchild! And him and Senior interacting? Tell me that would be seven different kinds of amusing._

Tim McGee had been in a lot of uncomfortable situation in regards to being overheard, especially since he had made the move to DC. Almost all of them had revolved around Gibbs walking in at an inopportune moment. Most of those, he had been able to get away with a sly grin, since Tony DiNozzo had walked into the unexpected trap their boss' arrival had sprung. It had often ended with the patented Gibbs head slap to the Very Special Agent.

But once he saw her eyes fall to his desk, to the note he had written, he truly did look like a deer in the headlights. He turned to Ellie then to Abby. The sniffles were already starting to come from her. He had been right, at least, in his thought to keep the information from her, even if nothing had been said out loud. But then he saw Ducky steady Tony's desk chair for Ziva, and move in front of her.

Ziva was staring straight ahead, not looking at the kindly doctor. And from the angle she was sitting at…

 _No, it was just a trick of the mind,_ he told himself. _I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing._

"McGee!" Abby's voice jolted him out of his seat. He turned to look at her, silently pleading for her to not say another word. For once, it worked.

A thousand questions raced through his mind. But a lot was beginning to make sense. Of course, Ziva would go to Gibbs first when she was in trouble. She had done it before, only he hadn't been there, at least not right away. And it was now a very different kind of trouble. It also explained so much about Tony's behavior when he had gotten back from Israel, what, five months ago? Tim knew what was at the heart of his teammate's ills. He just had thought, hadn't let himself think, it was that!

It felt like an eternity until another word was spoken and it had been, surprisingly, from Ziva herself. In her most clinical, most controlled, most Mossad-trained voice, she asked, "How bad?"

Tim gulped, not wanting to answer. It was only her turning and looking at him, eyes boring into him, that made him answer. "At least three."

Ziva closed her eyes. Abby whimpered some more.

But Ziva was Ziva. She had lived through worse. "Gibbs told you to get me from the house and bring me to the hospital, yes?"

"He didn't say you exactly…" It was technically the truth. However, that expression stopped him and he nodded.

She got up and was moving out from behind the desk when Vance approached the group. "I just got a call from Baltimore PD that Gibbs had them forward. Do we know the situation?" They were all staring at the director, who was oblivious to to anyone unusual in the room. All too stunned to answer their boss, their eyes silently guided their boss to the extra person. He noticed their silent communication until his eyes stopped on her.

It was the only time Tim had seen the toothpick fall out of his mouth. "Ziva?" He seemed to have the same questions everyone else had.

"Director, I should have been on the road fifteen minutes ago," Tim informed him, gathering his bag. Before he could get out from behind the desk, Ziva had already walked over to the elevator. She hadn't pushed the button, knowing she had to wait for him.

"I'm coming with you!" Abby called, running to Ziva's side. She was still in her lab coat and had nothing else on her, but she moved to join the other woman. He rolled his eyes, trying to communicate that it wasn't a good idea. She never took their getting injured well. But this time, she ignored him. Abby would not be moved.

He looked to Vance, then Ducky. "My boy, I wouldn't put up a fight," he said at last. Vance nodded his head once, in agreement, and he joined the two women. They hurried to his car and got in, Abby in the back seat and Ziva in the front.

Due to the hour of the night, traffic was light and he reached Baltimore in about forty-five minutes. Even so, he would have wanted to get there quicker. Hell, it was the one time he wouldn't have minded if Ziva herself drove.

Parking in front of the emergency room door, he flashed his badge, cutting off the security guard's words. Abby had somehow managed to reach the information desk first, demanding to know where Tony DiNozzo was. The nurse was ready to ask her how she was related when Tim had intervened. Nodding his head to Ziva, he merely said, "This is his wife."

The woman looked at all three of them incredulously, but answered the question. They headed in the direction she had told him. Turning the last corner, his eyes fell upon Gibbs.

He had his back to them, staring at the glass door that led to the trauma unit. Tim flashed back to another hospital, another set of doors, another tragedy. It was only Abby's soft cry of his name that caused Gibbs to turn. That was when he saw that the sniper's gaze wasn't on her or Tim, but all on Ziva. He walked over to her, his gaze unchanged. "I ordered him to live. I told him he had so much to live for."

Tim put his hand on Abby's arm, pulling her back slightly. She didn't fight, thank goodness. He saw the tears spring from her eyes, though, and he wrapped his arms around her as she fell into the embrace.

"How did this happen?" she asked Gibbs. Then, without waiting for an answer, the Goth turned to their leader. "You have to catch the slimeball who did this, Gibbs. Promise me you will."

"Already done," he said, never taking his eye off Ziva. Tim was unsurprised by the answer. He would have been shocked if the shooter lasted another thirty seconds after inflicting whatever damage he had done. Then, at last, he turned his attention away from Ziva. "Vance knows?"

McGee wanted to ask what he meant exactly, but thought better of it. "He got the message. Ducky knows too. I wouldn't be surprised if either of them didn't jump into their cars right behind us." He looked over at Ziva, wanted to ask the question he knew needed to be asked. "Is Tony...?"

"Critical. They're working on him now."

"Has anyone let his father know?" The question had come from Ziva, who turned her head towards them.

Gibbs shook his head and instantly, Tim was on it, dialing the father's number. For some reason, he had it memorized, but why, he he couldn't remember. He didn't even know what to say if he did get through. He hoped to get only the voicemail, with the cheery voice of the bon vivant they had all come to know and love asking for a message to be left. Sadly, life didn't allow his such a luxury.

"Mr. DiNozzo, it's Tim McGee."


	6. Chapter 6

_I believe there was an episode where Tony comments about feeling sorry for any guy that dates Kayla Vance, to which Leon agrees. I like to think he's remembering that comment too in this chapter. (Cookies for anyone who can remember the line and tell me where it is in the comments.)_

 _Though this chapter is a Gibbs one, I do want to show a lot of the director. He's a hard ass, but he cares for all of them. And unfortunately, tragedy bonds him and Ziva._

 _It had to come full circle,_ Gibbs mused. He'd met the man in this very city so long ago, but he would be damned if he lost Tony in the very same place.

It was to be an agonizing wait, punctuated by McGee's call to Tony's father. Eventually, the younger agent reported back that the man was in Chicago, trying once more for some big deal. He had to give it to DiNozzo Senior, he was nothing if not an optimist. Tim had said he seemed to take it well, informing them he'd be on the first flight to BWI. Had it been several years ago Gibbs would have doubt that, but now knew it was true. Anthony Senior had missed out on too much of his son's life as it was and the last time he'd been at death's door, the father wasn't around.

He winced inwardly at the phrase and vowed to not got there, not think like that. Though he was the exact opposite of either the father or son, he would work at optimism.

They had sat there, quiet, keeping their thoughts to themselves, for what felt like hours. No one had come to tell them anything, and Gibbs took it as a good sign. At least a sign Tony was fighting. The next time there was movement in the hallway, it came from the opposite direction. Leon and Ducky had arrived, like McGee had guessed. It had, though, taken a bit longer than expected.

"DiNozzo?" Leon asked succinctly.

"In surgery. It's been," he closed his eyes, trying to remember at what time they had entered the ramshackled house, then squinted at his watch, "three hours. The BPD cop who called it in to Tony heard the shots and call for backup, emergency services right away. He got here maybe fifteen minutes later."

"Dr. Mallard said McGee had reported at least three shots."

Gibbs nodded. "Four, plus a graze, but it probably wouldn't do any worse than a head slap," he replied, a smile creeping onto his face.

Leon relaxed a bit, his mouth quirking upwards as well. Then he looked over to Ziva, seated on a bank of chairs against the wall. Gibbs saw the look on his boss' face, and, unabided, memories of another hospital ER came to mind. He knew that these two were linked by tragedy, by a single act of violence. He pushed those thoughts aside as the director asked, "Ducky also informed me of other...recent developments. You know about them?"

Gibbs long had his suspicions, but never thought they'd acted on them. He'd once walked into the lab and overheard McGee and Abby gossiping. It had been sometime after they had returned from Mexico, he recalled. He had cleared his throat and asked them pointedly what they were talking about. Abby had been ready to share it with him, but McGee had gotten their attention back on the case.

As to the here and now, he shrugged. "If anything, it hasn't been ongoing or else they were really great at hiding it." DiNozzo, by nature, liked to brag, but Gibbs knew if anything had been going on between him and Ziva, he'd have kept his mouth shut, if for no other reason than the fact she would have killed him if he uttered a word. Now, his actions, they may have given the game away. "I figured he was BSing me from Israel, that he had in fact found her. I hoped he was convincing her to come back."

Vance looked over Gibbs' shoulder again. "Looks like nature made that decision for them. If there is a God and He has a sense of humor, it'll be a little girl."

A chuckle broke out of Gibbs, knowing exactly what he meant. At the same time, it made him miss Kelly once more. Then he controlled himself. "One step at a time, Leon. One step at a time." Then Gibbs looked back at Ziva. "Senior's on his way. He's in Chicago, said he'd get the first flight here."

"How long ago was that?"

Gibbs couldn't remember. "Ask McGee. He made the call."

With that, Leon walked over to the other agent. He saw Tim pull out his phone a read a number off to their boss. Leon stepped outside, bringing the phone to his ear as he got out of the line of sight.

Ducky, who had been unusually quiet from the time of his arrival, approached him then. "Jethro, if you would like, I know a few doctors here, in fact one rather high up, that I am sure can give us an update." Ducky was nothing if not resourceful. He had a friend in every country, every city, every hospital.

Gibbs was about to give him the okay when the doors opened at last. A man in scrubs who looked younger than McGee stepped out. "Are you Anthony DiNozzo's family?" he asked.

Ziva jumped up first, then slowed down, trying to bring herself under control. "I'm his…" She left it unsaid, but touched her stomach gently. He saw her close her eyes, preparing herself for the worst.

The doctor nodded gravely. "He's alive, but in a coma. A bullet punctured a lung, another perforated the stomach and a third hit him in the thigh. We've been able to repair that damage, but there was one bullet we haven't been able to get to yet."

Ducky's medical training came into focus. "Where is that bullet?" he asked. At seeing the doctor's reluctance to answer, the ME put him at ease. "Besides being a longtime colleague of the patient and a doctor myself, I am also a dear friend. Or so I hope Anthony would say."

The younger man nodded. "That bullet is lodged close to the spine which is still intact, but we will need to get in there again to try and get it out."

"And when can you do that?" Abby, asking with her best puppy dog eyes. "He's the big brother I never had."

"We want him to come out of the coma and recover from the surgeries we've already performed."

"Can we see him?" Tim asked.

"Not yet. When he wakes up, we'll be moving him to a room. Are there any other family members not here yet?"

"His father just got a lift from Chicago. He'll be here two hours, tops," Leon said when he rejoined the group. Of course Leon pulled some strings. Chicago was his town. Gibbs wondered if DiNozzo Senior would enjoy the private airplane.

With no more questions, the doctor made a hasty exit. For a moment, the group was silent, until Abby spoke up. "He's going to be alright," she said, her face firm with determination, repeating that line numerous times.

It seemed that way, with even Ziva letting out a breath. Gibbs knew that look, but he stayed quiet, waiting for her to speak. She did, at last. "I am sure you all have questions. It has not gone unnoticed by me that you have all been staring at me at some point this evening." She nodded her head, seemingly awaiting the onslaught. "Please, ask your questions."


	7. Chapter 7

_And now, the answers to the questions they all have. At least some of them. And, in the course of all that, I had to reference one of the more fun moments from "Hiatus". I loved Tony's reaction to it all, because it is so DiNozzo. "Shake, hug, tongue." Yes, so him._

 _I do so love the relationship between Abby and Ziva. Abby is such a little sister to both of them and I know she'll love being Aunt Abby._

 _And I would like to thank everyone who commented on the last chapter. I had a lot of fun writing Leon's line and it does get referred back to several times. Please, keep the comments coming! I love hearing from you!_

"Tony is not out of the trees, but I see the question you all want to ask," Ziva said, allowing them their curiosity.

"I believe the word you are looking for is 'woods', my dear," Ducky corrected her gently.

Ziva nodded again, offering him a shy smile. Then her eyes moved to each of them, waiting to see who broke first. No one did, to her surprise. So, it was up to her. "Tony did find me in Israel and he did try to get me to return. But, I did not feel it was right. I believed that we could not be together then," her eyes flicked to Gibbs at that, "and I felt I had brought too much pain to the rest of you."

"Before you go on, I have one question," Abby interrupted, stopping her train of thought. "And I only ask this because there's money riding on it."

Ziva noticed Tim's expression, the panic that was setting in on his features. "Abby, it's none of our business!" He looked back to her. "Really, it's none of our business."

Abby slapped him on the arm, hard enough that McGee winced. "McGee!" It seemed to silence him and she turned her attention back to Ziva. "Paris? I only ask because McGee got one story about who was on the couch and I got another."

It took the other woman a minute to figure out what the scientist was talking about. Then, she recalled the trip. "We shared a bed...but that was all."

Abby's face fell at the answer. "I was so sure of it! Especially now, with you…" She let out a frustrated grunt. "And I'm sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion at the lab. It was just, you magically appeared and I seemed to have forgotten Tony being gone, which I never usually do, I usually keep a running count of how long any of you are away from the office."

"Well, at least you didn't slap me," Ziva said, trying to slow her down.

She saw the look on Gibbs' face, that bewildered expression that was two parts confusion and eight part annoyance, and remembered he would have had no idea what she was talking about until Abby explained. "It was when you were nearly blown up and we were all so worried about you, but I didn't think that Ziva was and I accused her of being an emotionless drone and slapped her and she slapped me. Then Tony found out because McGee witnessed it and he made us apologize and hug it out and then his mind, well, it took a Tony turn…"

Gibbs held his index finger up and brought it to her lips, shutting them. But Ziva was grateful to her friend, for breaking the silence.

It was Ducky who spoke up next. "I realize it may be premature to ask, but do you know what you are going to do next?"

"Right now, all I can think about is Tony. The doctor, he did not seem entirely sure of his condition. And that is all that is on my mind," Ziva replied.

"And the baby?" the doctor questioned further.

"My doctor in Tel Aviv has given no indication of any problems."

"Well, we will be there for you, no matter what, Ziva," Abby told her. Then she turned to McGee. "I will get you the money by next week."

"Abby," McGee said, almost in a whine. Then he turned his attention to Ziva. "When did you get back?"

"I have been back in the country less than twenty-four hours. When the plane landed, well, I went to DiNozzo's and saw him get home. But, I couldn't go see him, I got scared. It was too soon, I didn't know what I would say...so I went to Gibbs." She saw the eyes swing to him, but he remained as silent as always. "That was probably why he told you to go to the house to get me. I was asleep for a while, but then something woke me suddenly. Most likely due to the time difference." That was what she assumed. But looking back, it was as if the gunshots had woken her up as they were striking him. "And then I could not go back to sleep. At that point, I decided again to go talk to him, but Abby texted me, thinking I was still in Israel and I changed my mind, went to surprise her instead. From there, well, you can guess."

"So you were planning on tell Tony?" McGee asked.

She knew she should have been shocked or insulted by the question, but she wasn't. "Yes, I did intend to tell him, eventually. I was just trying to get up the nerve." Then, something broke in her as she thought about her words. Would she ever be able to tell him? She let out a sob and sunk to the ground.

She did her best to hide her face, tried to hide the tears that were falling. But the mask had slipped off completely, the one she of the emotionless assassin, always in control. She was fighting for that control when she felt a strong hand grip her shoulder. Opening her eyes, Ziva found Gibbs there. "It'll be alright. Tony's tough, you know that. He's taken a lot worse." She nodded her head, willing herself to believe it. Then she heard him say, "Abs, why don't you take her to get something to eat. We'll stay here for word."

"I'm not hungry," she protested.

Gibbs nailed her with that stare of his. "When was the last time you ate?" When she took a long time to answer, he ordered her, "At least something in you."

"Come on, Ziva. Let's see if we can find anything actually good here," the woman told her as she took her hand. "I'll even catch you up on what you missed." Abby asked for directions to the cafeteria, which they found a short time later. Despite the hour, there were some bowls of cereal and fruit, which Abby placed to the tray. She paid for them and they sat down. "So where to begin? Did you see Ellie in the bullpen?"

"Blond girl, right?" Ziva replied.

"Yep. NSA analyst. She came over when a scenario she wrote up actually happened. I think Gibbs said she had applied to NCIS before." Abby paused, thinking as she chewed. "Oh! Remember Diane, the ex-wife Gibbs and Fornell share?" Ziva nodded and a smile spread across her friend's face. "She's divorcing her Homeland hubby and is back with the FBI."

"Wait, what? What does that mean?" The word escape Ziva's mouth, but then it clicked. That was followed by a laugh. She understood Abby's implication at last. "How did Gibbs take it?" She couldn't imagine it had gone well.

"Well, it all started with him and Tony barging into a hotel room that she was in and then, from what Tony told me, Fornell came out with just a towel on. And it involved another guy she was seeing who she thought was just this buff dude, and I mean buff, but was actually Secret Service." Ziva could see the delight Abby was taking in relaying the story and just sat back, listening. They both knew it was a distraction, but they both needed it.

Abby chattered on for another twenty minutes when Gibbs appeared tableside. Ziva felt the pit open once more, but he held up his hand, and her anxiety died down. "They said you can go in to see him," was all that was spoken.

Ziva hurried to the unit, with Abby and Gibbs trailing. However, when she arrived there, she stopped dead in her tracks, fear overtaking her once more. She turned to the one man who she relied on for so much to help her once again. Gibbs nodded solemnly, rested his hand on her shoulder and led her through the door. The doctor was a few steps ahead of him as he pointed towards the room. Ziva saw Tony through the glass wall, still on the bed. She rushed in suddenly, inspecting him. Numerous tubes were connected to him, leads for monitors, so many more than she had ever seen. She willed herself not to cry as she sank in a chair next to the bed.

"Tony, it's me," she whispered to him. "I'm back. I've come home."


	8. Chapter 8

_Despite what he seems to show his son, Tony's father loves him very much. It's just, the pain of losing his wife almost destroyed him, much like it nearly did Gibbs. He just shows it in a different way. (I also think this because, like Gibbs, Senior has multiple ex-wives, maybe as many as the boss.)_

 _Because of his love, combined with massive worry, he's not going to be thinking straight. But there are some good things he finds out._

When Anthony DiNozzo Senior had gotten the call from Tim McGee, he was just about to close a deal. Not a big one, like he had told his son earlier in the day, but one that would get him back on his feet. He'd learned that there was truth to the saying 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall.'

McGee's call had made him fall, harder than he ever had before in his life.

Junior had always assumed his father's disapproval of his chosen profession was because the older man looked down on cops, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The reason he didn't want his son to become a cop was very simple. It was fear.

His wife's death had shaken him like nothing until this moment. He had lost the love of his life so long ago and the thought of Junior being in danger every day of his life made his father turn cold. He knew it could take the smiling, joking, good-hearted man Tony had become away from him permanently. That was a world Anthony DiNozzo wouldn't want to stay in.

He had been in the hotel's bar when he received the call and no other thought possessed him then getting to the airport and going to his son's bedside. The only thing that gave him pause was the second call, from the NCIS director himself. Vance let him know a jet was on standby for him that would bring him to Baltimore.

It had been the only time in his life Senior paid no attention to the luxury that surround him on the jet. He had one thought and one thought alone-get to Tony. He kept repeating it in his head.

When he touched down, the second part of Vance's promise appeared, a car that hurried him to the hospital. When he got there, he followed the direction he had been given in the call about the plane and the car to the door that led to the emergency unit.

What he saw before him made him stop dead in his tracks.

All of his son's co-workers, his family really, were in the hall, standing around, _doing nothing!_ His son was fighting for his life and there they were like mannequins. It made his blood boil and he was about to let them have it when Ms. Sciuto noticed him and ran to him, engulfing him in a hug.

"Oh, Mr. DiNozzo!" she cried. "Thank god you got here."

Fear gripped his heart once more. "Has something...something…?" He couldn't even finish that sentence.

Tim McGee spoke up. "No, but he's still critical, still in a coma."

"Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be out there, looking for the man who did this to my son?" His anger flared once more.

"It's already been taken care of sir," Director Vance informed him. "By Agent Gibbs himself."

It was at the mention of the name that he finally took stock of the people in the room. Besides the three who had spoken up, Senior noticed Dr. Mallard, the pathologist, besides all the others but realized he did not see Gibbs. While he had been grateful at time for the man's place in his son's life, he was angry that the same man wasn't here now. Mallard seemed to notice how rigid he had gone at the mention of the name. "Jethro is in the room now...with Ziva."

That surprised him out of his anger. Last he had heard, she decided to stay in Israel. Junior had sent him an email informing him, but it had ended with him saying, "The matter is closed. I don't want you to bring it up ever again. This is your only warning."

That had been exactly what he wanted to do, but he heeded his son's threat. He had very nearly flown to Israel to hunt the woman down and make her go back to DC with him. He knew his son's feelings for his stunning co-worker. It was why he enjoyed playing the role of sugar daddy when he could. He hoped it would be the impetus to make his stubborn son finally make his move.

He wondered what had finally made her come back. Without another word though, he went through the doors and looked in several rooms before he found the one they had Junior in.

Dr. Mallard had been right. Ziva was sitting in a chair, holding Tony's hand with Gibbs standing at the foot of the bed, a noble sentry at his post. Senior made a few steps into the room and they must have drawn Gibbs' attention. Wordlessly, he pushed the older man back into the hallway. Senior struggled a bit, tried to get past him, but the other man was stronger. He looked back at the bed, at Ziva and Tony, before closing the door.

"Get out of my way, Gibbs," he growled.

"Hey, just give me a second," Gibbs told him in a quiet but forceful voice. He looked back once more then continued. "He's in a coma and has already had several bullets removed. But they say their waiting until he wakes up to go in and get one more."

Gibbs must have seen the panic on the father's face. He knew a little bit about the man's family, the tragedy he had gone through, but he shook his head, reassuring Senior he wouldn't suffer the same heartache. "I ordered him he was not to die."

"How well does he follow orders?" Anthony asked half-seriously.

Gibbs frowned, waved his head from side to side, but seemed to allow a smile to peek out. "He knows which ones are the important ones."

Senior looked over Gibbs' shoulder. "I thought this had just happened," he said.

Gibbs seemed to understand. "She just arrived back," he looked at his watch, trying to determine something, "yesterday afternoon. She couldn't see Tony yet, had some issues to work out." Then the other man stepped aside and opened the door for him. "But she needs you now. And so does he."

That made DiNozzo go into the room. Gibbs closed the door behind him and stood at the wall window, watching him like a hawk.

He made his way over to where Ziva sat, quiet and still. It was only when he place a light kiss on her head that she seemed to notice him. She turned around quickly, "like a ninja," Tony would say, ready to attack. But she stopped when she saw it was him.

"Mr. DiNozzo, did you just…" she whispered.

"McGee and Vance. They told me and got me here. In truth it's where I needed to be." Then he looked at his son. "I wouldn't be anywhere else."

But his attention returned immediately to the young woman. Even with her eyes puffy and red, she was still a ravishing beauty. "Tony, he's..um…"

"He's a DiNozzo. If you hadn't noticed, we can be stubborn," his father said before turning back to the bed. "Gibbs said he gave you an order and I expect you to follow it to the letter, Junior. Or you might lose her to me for good."

Ziva chuckled, a light, musical sound amid all the beeps and whirrs of the machinery. "I'm glad you are here now. If you want me to leave…"

"You will do no such thing. He needs the both of us." Then he let anger cloud his eyes. "Unless you don't want to be here with him."

She closed her eyes and bit her lip. "I deserve that," she replied, shame in her voice.

He immediately felt ashamed for even thinking that. "I'm sorry, I was too harsh," he apologized. "It's just, Junior, he told me you had decided to stay in Israel and it sounded so final. He didn't want it brought up after that." He moved his head, glancing at her from the side. "Something changed."

Ziva's eyes slid back to the bed, watching Tony for any indication of movement. She seemed to be making a decision, one she finally arrived at after a moment. "Yes, something did change." She let out a long sigh, then continued. "When your son came looking for me, we, well, we made a connection."

"'A connection'?" He didn't seem to understand what she was saying. Her head dropped, looking at her stomach and she rested her hand atop her belly. Her stomach looked ever so slightly rounder. It was then that it dawned on him. "Ziva are you…?"

She nodded, and tears welled up in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her neck, kissing the top of her head. "Oh, my dear girl, a baby?" He couldn't stop the smile on his face from growing. She was crying now too.

He turned back to the bed. "Did you hear that, Junior? You're going to be a father! If nothing else bring you back, let it be that!"


	9. Chapter 9

_One of the most heartbreaking things on post-Ziva NCIS is whenever they shows the Star of David in Tony's desk, so I needed to bring it in. I also thought it was a nice way to bring in Ellie. It gives her insight into the team dynamic from before her time, more than she can get from reading reports._

 _Again, I refer back to "Truth and Consequence." Sorry!Not Sorry, but I really could rewatch that episode a hundred times and not tire of it. I do think the idea of Tim's views about the plan would be interesting, especially since we saw Tony volunteer Tim without first consulting McProbie. And Ellie just seems in awe of Ziva, from what she's read and heard. That'll be revisited, trust me._

 _As always, comments are welcomed. I love to hear from you all._

After Mr. DiNozzo went into the emergency unit, both Tim and Ducky stepped outside to make phone calls. While Ducky seemed to be leaving a message with Jimmy Palmer, Tim called back to the office for a SitRep. Once that was finished, he hit Delilah's name on his contact list. He was waiting for her to answer when "Scotland, the Brave" sounded out, and Ducky answered his phone. It was Jimmy, calling back and after a brief conversation, Ducky informed him that both of the Palmers would be arrive soon, then left to tell the others.

Delilah finally picked up and Tim told her what had happened though with a degree of reluctance. She, herself, had just been through a grievous injury due to an act of violence. He didn't want to have this bring back any of her trauma. Once he was finished, she asked him if he wanted her to come. He should have expected that. She was far stronger than he was, it seemed. He would have said yes, but thought better of it, with Gibbs, Vance, Abby, Ducky, Senior and Ziva there already and the ME assistant and his wife on the way. He told her it was alright, but if anything changed, he'd call. She told him to keep faith and she'd be there if he needed her. As he ended the call, a familiar blond head appeared before him.

Ellie approached him slowly, hesitantly. "Has there been any word?" she asked.

"They've done as much as they can now. His father just got here and is probably in there with Ziva and Gibbs," he informed her.

Ellie nodded, biting her lip. It was a nervous habit he had noticed from her in the past few months. "Um, a few weeks ago, I was getting hungry and since I had no cash and my own empty snack drawer, I went through Tony's desk." It was understandable, as he had a habit of keeping food socked away in the drawers. Tim just wasn't sure anything he may have in there was safe to eat. Then she continued. "Anyway, I found this in his top drawer." Ellie was holding up a small gold chain, with a Star of David hanging from it. "I thought at the time that Tony was Jewish. It's not totally unusual. But when you all left, well, from the little you had ever said about Ziva…"

That had surprised Tim to the point that he hadn't paid attention to the rest of what the newest team member was saying. When had he gotten necklace? The proud symbol of her heritage had rarely left her neck in all the years she had been with them. When had Tony come into possession of it?

"That is Ziva's," he confirmed, still confused about why Tony had it. He turned back towards the hallway where everyone had congregated, with Ellie following. That was when Tim noticed Gibbs was back. His boss' eyes locked onto him, then shifted to Ellie.

"Maybe, should we give it back to her?" the woman asked him, not noticing the approach of either Gibbs or Vance.

"Status?" the agency director asked, making Ellie jump back.

"According to Baltimore PD, the shooter wasn't the lance corporal. Tony's friend was staking the place out too and it was his guy that was in there shooting up the place. No word how Wren got away, though. The backup team is on the scene now, they should have more information soon."

Vance, nodding his head, replied. "Good. We still have to get our guy, but I'm going to let backup take the lead." Gibbs was about to protest, but Vance silenced him with a sideways glance. "None of your team is in any shape. It's been a long night and likely to not get any shorter. You all should really get back to your own beds," he said as he looked around, "but I doubt any of you will follow that order, right?"

Gibbs dropped his head, silently confirming Vance's assumption. Ellie bit her lip again, and Tim stared at him, almost daring him to issue it.

Abby was next to him in an instant. "I can't leave, not with Tony still...still…" She never finished the sentence, bursting into tears.

Gibbs gathered her up, held her close to him. "Abs, you can stay. I will be."

"So am I," Tim added, as a chorus of affirmatives rang out.

Vance's eyebrow rose and he nodded his understanding. "Look, someone needs to keep an eye on the office. I'm going to go home, shower, change my clothes, kiss my children and head in. Let me know if anything happens."

"Thank you, Leon," Gibbs replied as the director turned and left. He then led Abby to a chair and they both sat, Abby clinging to their boss like he was a lifejacket. Tim looked down, grew quiet.

It was only when Ellie spoke up that he returned to the here and now. "After you left, I looked her up. Ziva David." Tim unconsciously narrowed his eyes at her, so she explained, "Like I said, none of you really talk about her. I see Tony occasionally give me funny looks when I'm sitting at the desk. I know she was an important part of your lives. So I did my research. It's what I do." She looked to the doors, to where Tony was fighting for his life and Ziva was by his side. "Did you really rescue her from a terrorist in Somalia?"

Tim smiled, remembered that trial. Ellie understood the expression, but Tim felt the need to explain it further. "We were told she was dead and we decided to go after the terrorist who was responsible. It was only while we were tracking him that Tony's gut told him she was still alive. It was his plan that rescued her." Memories overcame him, pushed him to continue. "He got the two of us captured and then he was injected with truth serum. The guy thought Tony would give up agency secrets. But he laid his whole plan out to the guy, how everyone on the team played a different part in it. The guy eventually showed his hand, brought Ziva in and gave Tony five minutes to spill or he'd kill her. She wanted to know why we had come for her, why he had. But the guy came back, demanding the information. That was when Tony told him the only truth that mattered."

"And what was that?" Ellie asked, enraptured by the story.

"That he would be dead in thirty second." Tim tipped his head towards Gibbs. "Marine sniper. Tony was right." Then he turned his full attention to her. "Look, we gave her the same hard time we gave you, which I'm sorry about. She came in and filled some big shoes too and we had a hard time accepting her."

"Ari," the woman said simply. "I read it in the report. Her brother killed Agent Todd."

He swallowed, fought the pain that name brought up. "And she killed him. She's also lost her father, who she had a difficult relationship with." He let out a sigh. "And now Tony and with a baby on the way…"

"Tony's the father?"

Tim's eyebrows shot up. "Looks that way. Which is surprising, because you'd think Tony would have crowed about it, about them...together."

"You don't brag about something like that, not when you're madly in love with the person," Ellie reasoned.

"We talking about the same Anthony DiNozzo, Junior?" he asked incredulously. But she had a point. And it made all the other pieces fit. He'd left his heart in Tel Aviv. Now, Tim hoped he'd wake up, since it seemed to have returned to him.

That was the one thing Tim wished for. He'd take a thousand years of Tony's childishness, his lateness, his jokes and nicknames. In the end, he actually loved them because they were how Tony DiNozzo expressed himself and showed his own love.


	10. Chapter 10

_Come on, any of you really think I would…?_

 _This chapter recalls the end of "SWAK" when it was a head tap that seemed to perk DiNozzo up. I thought Gibbs would do it again, as a way to remind him of the previous near-death experience._

 _And Ziva. Yes, she's being more weepy than she would normally be. Don't worry, the Ziva we all know and love will return. It's just with the pregnancy hormones and the shooting, she not her usual self._

 _And I cannot stop saying it, every comment counts. Every word in recognition helps keep me, and all other writers, going_.

A few hours must have passed, because the sun was shining through the blinds in the room. Anthony DiNozzo Senior had found another chair a long time ago and was quietly snoring in it. That made Ziva laugh, reminded her of them in their undercover op as Jean-Paul and Sophie. She remembered the noisy snorer she was ready to smother more than once. Funnily enough, when they had been in Israel, he hadn't made a sound in his sleep. But then, the circumstance between the two time were very different.

She also remember, during that op, when Ducky had reported that the wife was in the early stages of a pregnancy. After she had learned that fact, she came out to announce it as Tony was hitting on the agent Fornell had sent in to uncover the same plot. Only when the overlap had been realized had the FBI and NCIS worked together, with Fornell's team playing hotel staff. She and Tony had bantered about the baby, if the female assassin had even realized she was pregnant. Ziva had assured him that she knew, that a woman always knew. She'd seen him grow, if only for a second, as the thought of fatherhood weighed in on him.

She only hoped he'd have the same reaction this time.

Yet, somewhere in her, she knew he would. Tony had changed a lot over the eight years she had known him. Oh, he still drove her crazy, with his wise-ass personality and unlimited comparisons of life and the movies. However, those were two things she knew would distinguish him from her father, from even his own. She glanced back at Senior and couldn't help to think of how different the two men were. But she was glad that Senior would remain in her life, as much as she wished for her own father.

Her thoughts shifted to her sister Tali. Her bright smile, her melodious voice carrying through their home, as yet untouched by tragedy and treachery. Tali's death had begun the spiral that had landed her here, in a hospital, praying she would not lose another person she loved.

She wasn't sure she was far enough along for a scan, but something in her gut told her the child would be a girl. She had heard Vance's crack early about the thought of Tony with a daughter. She smiled, wishing it to be so. Then she reach for Tony's hand.

"If you haven't heard, you're going to be a father," she whispered to him, taking his hand in hers. "In Israel, well, life has been so crazy that I must have forgotten some things. But I don't regret it. There are many things I regret but that's not one of them." She felt her eyes well up, but she had to continue, or else she'd never get it out. "I should have come back with you immediately. I should not have made you miss out on one second of this. Maybe if I had been here, this," she gestured to him in the bed, "wouldn't have happened. For that, I am eternally sorry."

"I want our baby to have a vastly different childhood than either of us had. I want our family around us, there for all the good days and the bad. You cannot have one without the other, I realize. This is one of them. We broke the rules, the golden Gibbs rules and we are paying a price for that. But I will not pay it all, a life for a life. There are people here who need you, beyond me or our child. Abby needs her protective brother, one who is fearless. Tim needs his pest, buzzing around him, keeping him loosened up. Ducky needs his student, because I know you take in whatever knowledge of life he imparts. And Gibbs, well, Gibbs needs his target. Who else would he slap when they got mouthy."

"We all love you," she finished sliding their joined hands down to her stomach, "and we all need you."

It was then that she felt it. She wasn't sure of it at first but then it happened again. She was so stunned she did not notice Gibbs had returned, bearing a hot cup with him. "Tony?" she asked, hoping she was right. Gibbs must have heard her, because he was by her side in an instant. She turned to him hold up his hand.

Gibbs nodded, saw the muscles flexed under Tony's skin, the nerves and bones moving slightly. "DiNozzo!" he called out to the man on the bed.

It startled the other one awake before the intended target could respond. Senior was on his feet as well, confusion playing over his face.

Gibbs called again and this time, Ziva felt a strong grip on her hand. She looked up at the monitors, looking for an indication of changes in the readings. Jethro saw it too and hurried to the nurse's station. He came back with two nurses and a doctor, who unfortunately shooed the three of them out of the room. Ziva watched from the window as they examined him, and then she heard it, a cough and gagging sound...a sign of life where there had been little before. It took them twenty minutes but, at last, the doctor came out.

"His vitals have improved. He's breathing on his own, so there's no need anymore for the tubes. But I am cautioning you, he's still very weak and we still have to worry about that bullet in his back," the doctor summarized, the smiled. "But for now, you can go back in."

Ziva didn't need any more prompting. She was by his side in an instant. His eyes were closed, but the minute her hand touched his, they were open. He was quiet for a minute, then he asked her, "Am I dreaming? Because if so, I don't wanna to wake up."

"You are not dreaming," she informed him.

"Then how did I get to Israel? Last thing I remember was a crap house in Baltimore," Tony asked again. It was obvious that, besides everything else, the drugs were taking their toll on him.

"You're still in Baltimore, DiNozzo," came Gibb's voice. He looked to her, a smile forming on his lips. "And it's not a dream."

Tony turned his head towards their boss, a look of disbelief on his face. Then he turned back to Ziva. He narrowed his eyes momentarily, until a light tap on his crown seemed to perk him up. "Thanks boss. I think I really needed that." Now his full attention was back on Ziva. "They called you, and you came? How long was I out?"

"I was already here," she admitted reluctantly. "I realized some things and returned hoping to make them right."

"But you came back. Are you staying?"

Ziva looked up at Gibbs, at last noticing Senior wasn't in the room. Gibbs got the message. "I'm going to let McGee know he's not the getting a promotion. You two...you two should talk," he said with the recognizable note of frustration they often heard in his voice. With that, he disappeared.

Ziva knew he was right. There was so much they needed to discuss, she didn't know where to begin and she still feared he would be angry with her. But he took her hand, brought it to his lips and kissed it. One thing she had been grateful for with his love of the movies, he knew all the romantic gestured.

His head fell back on the pillow as his eyebrow quirked up. "You heard the boss. I guess there is something we need to talk about. So, what might that be?"


	11. Chapter 11

_At last, we hear from the man himself! Kinda drugged up, for sure, but here he is. And I threw in a lot of classic Tony and Ziva tropes. I may have overdone some, but they are so cute (the tropes, but the couple as well)!_

 _And I do want to apologies up front. There may seem to be a lot of repetition of the two of them in their conversations over some of the chapters. Chalk it up to poor Tony's confusions. He's been through the wringer. But it'll get better, I promise!_

 _I recently rewatched the episodes that introduced Ziva and it was there we go our first example of her mangled American slang, plus his first correction of it. But, to quote: "You are a broken tape." I am, about this. I so want to hear from you. Please, any comment is welcomed._

One thing that had never been Tony DiNozzo's strong suit was patience. Which was a bad thing for a cop, what with waiting for forensic results, stakeouts and other things that took far too long for his liking. Right now, that inborn impatience was amplified by two things, being laid up in a hospital bed recovering from multiple gunshot wounds...and the words of his boss to him and the woman in front of him.

Ziva had long tested him on many fronts. He was still correcting her Americanisms after being in the states for nearly a decade. Her coy comments still confused him. Was she or wasn't she? And she still held him at arm's length from her life. Even with continued vows of support, of reminding her she was not alone in the world, of making a commitment to her…

And yet he loved her. There, he'd said it out loud! _Did I say it? I know I thought it. Damn drugs!_ He was always a bit loopy with the years of Gibbs head slaps very likely taking their toll but he thought it was one of his charms. However, being doped up on who-knows-what wasn't helping matters.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Was she even here? Was she just a drug-induced illusion. Gibbs had said she was here, that they needed to talk. He knew then that he'd have to be the one to start it.

"'Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, you had to walk into mine,'" he quoted with his best impression, deciding to start off with a classic.

"Alcohol is not advisable with the medication they are giving you," Ziva replied to him, that slight smile of her on her face.

"Well, 'hospitals' doesn't flow as smoothly, and, right now, I think a little Bogie is called for. I mean, with this charming scoundrel right here and the exotic, foreign beauty who stole his heart returned to him," Tony replied, stopping as he realized what he had said.

Ziva smiled at him, and it was brighter than the sun. "I stole your heart? Well, for that I am sorry," came the coy question. "Whatever can I do to repay you?

He tutted her. "Rule 22."

"'Never interrupt Gibbs during an interrogation'?" Ziva looked confused.

Tony's expression was probably mirroring hers. "No, that wasn't the one I meant to say." He rubbed his hands on his face, a manic smile spreading over it. "Wow! They've given me the good stuff." He relaxed. "It's really scrambled my brains. I mean, I get the rules totally confused, I think I'm in one place, I hear things that can't be true…"

She now looked concerned. "What did you hear that can't be true?"

"I don't know, but I'm fairly certain before I passed out that Gibbs said your name and then," he fought for the memory, "he said something else, but I can't remember." Then Tony turned to look at her. "I do know I asked him if he'd heard from you lately and he said no."

"He may have been protecting me," she said as she looked down to the floor. "I...just arrived yesterday afternoon. There are things we need to talk about."

"Yesterday afternoon? What time?"

She let out a sigh. "I waited for you outside of your apartment and saw you pull up. But then I saw you were happy. You had that ridiculous grin on your face, like you were talking to a swimsuit model or something."

Tony thought back. "I was on the phone with dad. He was bragging about being ready to close 'the big one'. 'Easy street, kid, I promise'" Tony flashed his trademark smile. "You know Senior, always looking for the one that'll put him back on top."

She blew out a breath. "Well, it doesn't matter. I probably would still have," she still couldn't remember the proper poultry for the idiom. "Which bird is it?"

"'Chickened out'?" he supplied.

"Thank you! Chickened out! I've been trying to remember that all day." Again she smiled at him.

Ziva and American slang. As much as it drove him nuts, it was one of the things he would alway love about her. However, as endearing as it was, he knew it was a stall tactic.

She seemed to know it as well. "But I am just beating around the scrub."

Again he felt the need to correct her. "The word is 'shrub' and and phrase is 'beat around the bush'. Then why don't you stop and just tell me what it is."

Was that a tear he saw slip down her cheek. "Because I am afraid of you."

He was surprised by the comment. "You're afraid of me? I think you've got that backwards, sister. You're the one who can do physical damage," he reminded her.

"And you can inflict emotional damage!" Ziva retorted, a bit too sharply. It was clear to him she was nearing hysteria. One minute crying, the next shouting.

He took a calming breath. "Okay, then let's do it this way." His mind went into overdrive, trying to think what would push her like this. "I have a feeling this," he waved around the room, "is upsetting you even more than what the real problem is." He saw her nod. "Is there anything wrong with you?"

"Nothing is wrong with me physically, but you being shot, it doesn't help my emotional state," she admitted.

"Okay, well, it's not good for me but what can we do?" He didn't mean to wait for an answer, just asking her another question. "Is it bigger than a breadbox?" It seemed like a good place to start.

She chuckled. "It will be."

For an instant, he thought he remembered seeing Gibbs' lips move, just before his eyes sealed shut. He never had Abby's talent for lip reading, but he thought it should have been an easy one to know.

It seems her frustration with him, with them, with the whole chain of events finally boiled over. "Tony, when you were in Israel, I forgot something important. I forgot my pill."

Pill? Aspirin? Vitamin? But it was then he realized that since he woke up and opened his eyes, she had been seated next to him. He was only seeing her from the neck up. In truth, it was all he concentrated on.

"My birth control pill." It was all she said.

Instantly, he knew. Even in his foggy state, he knew what she meant, he knew why she was afraid, and he knew, whatever she thought his reaction might be, it was wrong. He lifted his head as far as the oxygen tube would allow him and closed the space by reaching his hand out and pushing her head to his lips. They met in the space between, tender at first, but growing.

She finally pulled apart, and was weeping. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to...to come to you. I didn't know what your reaction would be. I didn't know if you would be mad, or not care or…"

They shared so much, and sadly, one was difficult parents. But Tony always knew he would take the example of his father and turn it on its head. "Why would you think I'd be mad or not care?"

"Because I kept it from you!" she yelled, trying to explain her reason.

"Okay, I would have liked to have been there when you first found out. It must have been a Kodak moment. But that's not what is important. What is is the fact you are here, now. I can only imagine it may have taken you some time to work it all out in your head. I don't totally begrudge you that." He still didn't understand her second reason. "Why would I not care?"

"Because it is all a joke to you," she said, seemingly getting angry. "You take so little seriously. Your jobs, your missions! You laugh at danger, laughed in my father's face in Israel years ago! He has crushed people for less."

" _Au contraire, Madame Rainer,_ " he interrupted. "I clearly remember the idea of fatherhood and the weight it carried once upon a time."

"It was a cover," she replied weakly, as though the incident had come to her mind too.

"Doesn't matter. Even if it was fake then," he sighed before continuing, "it's not something that hasn't occurred to me at other times." Then he let his hand wander down her stomach. "On the flight back from Israel, there was something gnawing at me, like I knew what we had done."

She looked at him curiously. "Then why did you not come back?"

"Because you sounded so final. I'd already crossed that divide. You needed to do so yourself," he told her, bringing her hand to his lips once more. "And I knew you would. I knew how much l loved you and how much…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

"How much I love you," she completed. She bent down again and kissed him. He so wanted to pull her up and have her join him on the bed, wrap his arms around her and draw her close, but the space was limited. He knew how uncomfortable it was with two bodies on a twin bed.

"We'll be alright," he assured her.

"How do you know that?" she asked him.

"We're together, right? Nothing can hurt us now," he replied a grin on his face.

She winced. "I can think of a few things that can," she retorted gently, as a smile grew on her face.

That was when he realized what she meant. "Gibbs? Ugh, got a point there."

"I was thinking more McGee, Abby. Though I think we are safe from Vance and Ducky."

"Whatever. Like I said, nothing can stop us now." And he meant it, as her news sunk in. He was going to be a father. They were going to be parents. And it was the happiest moment of his life.


	12. Chapter 12

_In mapping out the first several chapters of this story, I was concentrating on three major characters. We got a lot of Ziva, obviously, a good deal of Gibbs and even some of the two DiNozzos and McGee. So, I may have fallen down on the job with others, for which I am sorry. Ducky and Abby were those to, and I am working on correcting that._

 _The wonderful thing about Ducky is he offered a psychological aspect to his point of view. It's kind of heavy on the exposition, but it also offers a lot of insight into the both Tony and Ziva. And I have to say, I love writing in Ducky's rather more formal tones. It's very different from everyone else._

 _Please, please, please keep letting me know what you think, how I'm doing. It really pushes me to continue._

Anthony DiNozzo Senior charged out of the unit and announced to everyone who was there that his son had awakened. Ducky sighed happily at that. In truth, he had been rather concerned when the doctor had initially told them of the coma. There was no telling the damage that could be done the longer the body remained in such a state. But, in the end, it had been no more than six hours. Ducky's worry was further put to rest a few minutes late when Jethro had told them the patient has responded well to further treatment of the Gibbs slap. Abby had burst into the giggle upon hearing it said.

She, of course, wanted to run to Tony's room, and smother him with affection. Gibbs was somehow able to stop her, telling the scientist that the man needed time to recover from all that that been happening to him.

Ducky knew exactly what his friend meant.

Not only would he be dealing with a recovery from such serious injuries as had been inflicted on him, he would have to tackle the news of the return of Ziva David and his impending fatherhood. Ducky would have liked to have seen the look on the younger man's face when he received the news. But, alas, it was a private matter, between the man and the woman who was carrying his child.

He had watched Tony through the years change and grow. They were subtle changes, to be sure. He was still a prankster, the class clown as the saying goes, but when he wanted to be serious, he could be deadly so. And he was never more serious than when it came to Ziva.

She was, herself, a fascinating case study. The product of a stern rearing, where affection was often fleeting and shaky, she was one of the few of them who had siblings that she seemed to have had great affection for. Then, both of them had been taken from her. Her sister had been killed is a bombing, while her brother had been transformed into a psychopath, one that had to be taken down. And it had been left to her, perhaps even at the orders of their father, to do so. He was a distant man himself, serving his organization first, his country second, and his family last.

The thought of Eli David brought Ducky's attention to Anthony DiNozzo Senior. Not unlike Eli, he too was distant from his child, though in a different manner entirely. The good doctor knew tragedy had claimed his wife when their son was still young, and left her widower bereft. He had been adrift and so, too, was his son. Tony compensated for it by the attitude he showed the world-that of a man who seemingly took joy in his life, but was in truth guarded and lonely.

Just as much as Ziva was.

He had been staring at Senior for quite some time, enough for the other man to notice and approach him. "It is such a relief," he said, a familiar smile on his face.

"Yes, I too was worried there. Sometime, the knowledge I have makes me fear the worst. There still are unknowns, but for now, we shall take the good," Ducky replied.

Senior's smile slipped minutely until Abigail came over to them, full of her usual enthusiasm. "I just wish I could go in and see him. He had me so scared," she said, calmer than he had expected. "I just knew something was wrong when Timmy said he wasn't going to tell me."

Ms. Sciuto, though a sunny optimist by nature, was also prone to worry the most of all of them. He clearly remembered when Jethro had been severely injured on board a ship and it had taken her a long time to come down off the adrenalin high her worries had caused.

"The chief-of-staff here is a friend who has frequented conferences with me. Let me see if there are any strings I can pull to allow more us to see him," Ducky said.

"Oh, thank you Ducky!" Abby cried, enveloping him in a hug.

Mr. DiNozzo smiled as well. "It would really be appreciated. I don't think it would be right to have Ziva step aside for any of us to go in."

Ducky nodded. Before he set off though, he thought it appropriate to say, "And a hearty congratulations to you, Senior. It is the best of news."

With that, Ducky tracked down his old friend, who was surprised to see him in Baltimore. A quick explanation followed and his friend brought up Tony's records.

"My initial concern was for the coma, but he seems to have come out of it in fairly good shape, from what his boss told us," Ducky relayed.

His fellow doctor nodded. "They did have to leave in the bullet in his back. He seems to have taken a bad turn during the initial surgery and they thought is best to wait on it."

"That was my other concern," Ducky agreed.

The other man read on. "Actually, there's been an update for him. It seems the first scan was slightly off. The bullet lodged farther away than first thought. It's not as bad. Still serious, but not potentially dire."

"Oh, thank heavens, that's a relief," Ducky said, the relief palatable.

"He'll be in the ICU for a while, though. We're going to need be assured everything is alright. I think that if he continues to get stronger, by tomorrow, we should be able to go in and get the last bullet out," his friend reassured him.

Ducky nodded. "About that. I do realize there are rules limiting the number and relations of visitors to the ICU. However, there are many people eager to see Agent DiNozzo and, quite frankly, they are getting antsy."

"Understable. So long as a physician is present with them," Ducky noticed a slight tip of his head, "I don't see why both can't be extended."

Ducky got his meaning and nodded his thanks as he left. He returned to his comrades and clearing his throat, he got their attention. "I've spoken with my friend and, after reviewing Anthony's results has assured it is not as bad as first believed. Yes, he has an extensive recovery ahead of him, but he will recover."

Abby, naturally, was the happiest of the group, but Ducky noticed the relief on Timothy's face. Mr. and Mrs. Palmer, who had arrived as the sun was rising, hugged each other in joy. Gibbs, meanwhile, simply smiled, nodding his thanks to his dear friend.

"There is more. We have been allowed more people than is normally proper, but a doctor should be there in the room," he added.

Gibbs responded immediately. "Abby, McGee, go ahead in. You've been here the longest, and I'm sure you're the most worried. You too Bishop."

Tim and Ellie nodded and Abby hugged man on her way passed him.

Ducky smiled. "Come, my dears. I am sure that Tony is as anxious to see you as you are to see him," he said, taking Abby by the arm to lead her in.


	13. Chapter 13

_I get the feeling that Abby would be pissed at me for waiting this long to get to her point of view on all this. And I am sorry for that. Abby does have a lot of feelings on all these matters-Tony being shot, Ziva pregnant and everything surrounding it._

 _Writing Abby is a hoot! Her rambling speeches just trip off the keyboard. And she's just got such a big heart which I love to bring out._

 _So, sorry again it took me so long to get to her! Anyone want to scold me further, post a comment!_

As much as Abby loved Ducky, and his unusual gentlemanly manner, this was the one time it miffed her. Oh, she understood exactly why he had linked his arm with hers once they entered the hospital's trauma unit, Tim McGee on her other side and Elli trailing a step behind. She wanted to run to Tony's room and see with her own eyes that he would be alright, but the ME's gesture was meant to slow her down.

She reluctantly admitted to herself that she had been going at a hundred miles an hour since Ziva seemingly poofed into her lab last night. The rush of seeing her long-time, long-lost friend, realizing her condition and then overhearing McGee's end of the phone call from Gibbs drove her crazy. She was a bundle of nerves just thinking about any of her team in any modicum of danger. But to be so severely wounded as Tony had been? She was surprised she hadn't launched herself into outer space.

And this was all-natural hyper-energy. She hadn't had her regular Caf-Pow! in...she couldn't remember the last one she had. Did Gibbs bring her one when she had called him into report that she had cracked the sergeant's computer firewall but also that Major mass spec was in the middle of a meltdown? She couldn't be sure. But that had been hours ago.

All that thought fled her when they came to the room Tony had been placed in. She could see him on the bed, hooked up to monitors and IVs. Ducky held her firmer to him as they entered.

She let out a gasp, not so much for Tony's condition, but for the peaceful state he appeared in. Ducky had whispered to her that he may be sleeping but they could at least peek in. That seemed to be the case, with Ziva sitting by his side, softly snoring, an indication that she had drifted off into a much needed sleep.

Despite the fact that the two appeared to be off in slumberland, she couldn't help but call out quietly to him. Tim and Ducky both hushed her, not wanting either of them awakened, but then she saw something change on Tony's face and couldn't help but smile and give him a small wave.

Tony groaned and tried to re-adjust himself for a more comfortable angle. Then he looked to his side and saw, too, that Ziva appeared to be asleep. "She's usually louder," he said.

Abby narrowed her eyes as she remembered Ziva's clarification a little while ago. She still wasn't convinced the two of them hadn't been hooking up for way longer than Ziva's stay in Israel late last year. Abby filed that away in her memory banks to bring up to her friend later. "God, Tony, I am so glad to see you," she said, every part of her wanting to act like a two-year-old and grab him off the bed in the biggest hug she could imagine.

Ducky seemed to read her mind and never relinquished his grip.

Tony gave the four of them one of his cocky smiles. "Abs, the Duckman, Blondie and McAmbitious! Come to see me!" For as quiet as they all had tried to be, Tony had no such compunction. As expected, it woke Ziva up. The Israeli woman blinked at them a few times, but then gave a small smile. Tony saw it, too, and pointed in their direction. "Babe, we've got guests."

Abby saw Tim's eyes widen at the endearment, setting off a little giggle. What did McGee think Tony would refer to his baby momma as?

"My boy, you gave us all a scare," Ducky informed him.

"Sorry, folks, couldn't be helped," he replied.

"Yes it could!" Abby cried out. "Why'd you go...wherever it was...anyway?" She knew it was a stupid question. He was a cop and that was where the bad guy was. "Don't answer that. Just...don't you ever scare me like that again. You got your one near-death experience with the plague, you don't get any more." Then she looked him over once more. "How are you feeling?"

Again, he flashed that smile. Abby realized it was the exact same as DiNozzo Senior. There was the proof of genetics. "Well, right now, I'm not feeling a whole lot."

Ducky at last moved away from her as he inspected the IV bags. "I suspect not, judging by the medication I saw on your chart."

Abby could make out one of the bags besides the saline. Who knew what else they were shooting into his lines. Well, Ducky, obviously, but that was besides the point. "I guess they're giving you the good stuff, huh?"

"I don't know what it is, but I can't feel a thing right now." In the next second, he let out with a loud "Ow!" Looking to Ziva, she had her devious smile on and her hand inches from a red mark on his arm. "You pinched me!"

"Well, you said you could not feel a thing. I thought it best to test you," she replied with a snark.

"Ladies and gentleman, the mother of my child. Did you all know that? We're having a baby!"

"Congratulation on that," Ellie said, speaking up for the first time.

"Oh, Ziva, I don't know if you were properly introduced, what with Tim getting the call from Gibbs and us rushing here," Abby popped up with. "Ziva David, Ellie Bishop. Ellie, this is Ziva. She was the last woman to sit at your desk."

"I kind of guessed that," Ellie said. "I was reading up on you after you all left. And Dr. Cranston was right. Your shoes are way big to fill. I haven't done half of what you've been through."

"Dr. Cranston? Is Gibbs sending her? I am in no shape to have my head shrunk right now, which I probably will need to have done before I come back to work, right Doc?" Tony asked of Ducky.

"Well, you have some time until you can. I spoke to the doctors here. They said you'll need quite a bit of recovery time," Ducky told him.

Abby was about to say something encouraging, to get Tony into the best spirits she could, when a nurse came in. "Excuse me, but there really are too many people in here."

"Oh, no worries because we did actually get permission to all be in here!" Abby replied, trying to trump the nurse.

"Oh, and whose permission was that?" the woman questioned archly. "If it didn't come from me, it ain't flying." Then she looked at Tony. "Besides, Mr. DiNozzo needs his rest. I was just coming in here to administer a sedative."

"That's Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior," he informed her with a smirk.

"Well, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior, I am going to have to ask all of your company to leave. Besides," she told him as she injected the liquid from the syringe into the IV, "you won't be awake much longer to entertain them."

"And he does like to entertain us," Tim commented under his breath.

"Hey, McWhisperer, I heard that! And when I...wake up...I'll...I'll.." Tony never finished the sentence. The next sound he made was the loudest snore Abby had ever heard.

"Ugh. Having heard how loud his is, the nurse is right. We wouldn't even be able to talk if we stayed here, with him sounding like a snowhorn," Ziva said. Neither Abby nor anyone else got the chance to correct her, as she added, "I need to get up and move. Sleep on that chair is in no way comfortable and I need something to keep me awake."

Ducky nodded and took her arm instead. "Well, I doubt we will find anything close to it, but we shall try." With that, they exited the room. Ellie seemed to have the same thought, Abby guessed, or she was hungry for some junk food herself, because she left as well. Tim moved to leave as well, but, when Abby herself didn't come with him, he said her name. "Abby, you heard the nurse. Let Tony sleep."

"I just want to make sure he's alright," she said. "He really had me scared." Then she jumped, as he let out with a loud snort, followed by further unidentifiable sounds. "Okaaay, he seems fine." She smiled as she turned to leave. Yes, it did seem like he would be fine indeed.


	14. Chapter 14

_This, I think, shows the essence of Team Gibbs. They are there for each other, like with Abby offering to get Ziva's things for her, Leon allowing them time off, etc. This is them as family._

 _And the family's going to be banding together against a common...annoyance. Sure, they might be friends with other agencies, but that doesn't mean they want or need their help. It's going to make for some interesting interactions down the road._

 _I am so happy to hear from all of you and love that so many are accepting the head!cannon I've come up with._

"Vance," the answer came from the other end of the line _All business, as usual,_ Gibbs thought.

"He's awake, Leon, and from what Ducky learned, they're basically improving his condition. The one they still have to get, it's not as bad as was previously thought," Gibbs reported to his boss.

"Thank god." The relief was evident in the tone of his voice. He'd been through one tragic death, his wife, who had been collateral damage from an assassination of the last Mossad director. But then it was back to matters at hand. "Any chance your team can be encouraged to leave the hospital and come in? The FBI dropped by for a status update. Wasn't able to give them much, which did not please Agent Fornell."

"The FBI?" Gibbs asked. "Why would the FBI be involved in a drug case like Lance Corporal Wren?"

"This has become more than just a drug case. A Federal Agent was shot in the line of duty and that's their sandbox. He got word that DiNozzo was shot and decided to 'remind' us that it's their jurisdiction. I was able to convince him of a joint investigation with NCIS."

Gibbs sighed. He never liked it when the FBI got involved, no matter how good of friends he really was with the Senior Agent. "As for my team, Ducky sent Palmer back once we were told DiNozzo was awake. As for everyone else, you really wanna try to order them?"

Vance huffed out a grunt. "That include you?" Gibbs didn't answer and Leon, maybe sensing the stare on Gibbs' face, conceded. "Okay, I'm giving your people another forty-eight hours away. But no more. We still have a case to solve, and it's even more personal now."

"Appreciate it, Leon. I'll keep you updated," Gibbs replied, ending the call. He turned back to the entrance to the emergency ward just as Ducky, Bishop, McGee, Sciuto and, to his surprise, David, came through the doors.

"Mean nurse threw us out," Abby pouted as they reached him, opening her arms and engulfing him in a hug.

"It is really for the best. Anthony needs rest," Ducky rebutted gently.

But Gibbs wasn't really paying attention to the two of them. His attention was focused solely on Ziva. She didn't appear as drawn as she had when he had left her and Mr. DiNozzo after Tony woke up. "You okay?" he asked with fatherly concern.

She smiled at him. "Not okay, but better."

"You two have that talk?"

She nodded. "We did...and he is quite happy."

"It's the drugs," McGee reasoned, half joking. "He was hyped up by time we saw him. Now, they sedated him. The nurse seemed to think he'd be out for a few hours with what they gave him."

At last, Gibbs turned his attention to the rest of them. "I spoke with the director. He is generously giving us a couple of days leave, with DiNozzo in the hospital, if you want it." He didn't see anyone protesting it. Then he looked back at Ziva. "Look, you've been up, how long?" He knew she had flown in from Tel Aviv yesterday afternoon and suspected when he sent her to bed, she hadn't actually gotten any sleep and certainly none since then. She was at NCIS when he notified McGee about the shooting and that hadn't been much later. "Maybe you should go back to my house and rest for a little while." Surprising him not at all, she shook her head to answer him. He decided on another tactic and offered a suggestion. "At least go and get a change of clothes."

Abby raised her hand. "If you want, I can go and get some stuff for you."

"You would go get some of my things?" Abby nodded, smiling at her. "That would be greatly appreciated. While I am confident Tony with be alright, I...I can't leave here. Not right now," she replied.

It was McGee who nodded. "I think I could use a change of clothes. I'll go with Abby and we'll get you some necessities."

"My cases are at Gibbs'" she reminded him.

"Hey, that's no problem. It's not like he ever locks his front door anyway," Abby reminded her. Then she gave the other woman a quick hug. "We'll be back as soon as possible, okay?"

Ziva nodded wordlessly and the two left.

"Well, my dear, if you won't go back to DC, at least allow me to buy you a decent breakfast," Ducky remarked. "Eleanor, would you like to join us?"

Ellie's eyes popped open at the invitation. "Oh, I couldn't. I mean, thank you, but, really…" she stammered.

Ziva took a deep breath. "Please, join us. I could use the company."

"Al-alright. I am a little hungry myself," she accepted.

"I'm gonna go in and sit with DiNozzo," Gibbs told them. Then, before he had the chance to reach the doors, he heard Ducky call after him.

"Jethro, you did hear that we were told to leave the room?"

"Yep, I heard you. Just not going to pay attention." He'd face Marine DIs. He wasn't afraid of any nurse. Gibbs got back to the room and pulled up a chair to face Tony. He let out a loud snore then seemed to hush himself. Gibbs smiled at that. Over the years, he taken great pleasure in waking Tony when he'd catch the younger man asleep at his desk. A part of him wanted to do it again. _Nah, let him sleep. He's been through the wringer._

"Excuse me? I thought I told you people Mr. DiNozzo needed his rest," a woman in scrubs hissed at him.

"I'm not planning on bothering him," Gibbs told her. He gave her a look that was both hard and pleading.

The woman gave in. "Just so long as you don't disturb him." She turned and left the two of them.

Gibbs sat back and just kept an eye on the man in the bed, until something caught his attention. He looked up to see Anthony DiNozzo Senior. Tony's father seemed to have a quiet, thoughtful look on his face. It was a look he knew from his son.

"Tony was always a sound sleeper when he was a baby. His mother used to worry about it. Didn't know for sure if he'd wake up," Senior explained.

"Yeah, I've noticed that." He sent a glare across to the man in the bed.

"Thank you," Senior said next.

Gibbs nodded. There were no words needed. He and Senior had rehashed this conversation many times. He knew the other man at times appreciated the relationship he had forged with his son and at times resented it.

Senior moved on. "So, Tony and Ziva, huh?"

"About time," Gibbs commented. "Now the fun begins."

Senior's smile widened and his eyes sparkled. "I still can't believe it. Though, from what I've been made to understand, they broke a rule of yours?"

"Yep," Gibbs confirmed. Then he let out a sigh. "It's the one that seems to be disregarded the most, though."

"Well, speaking as a soon-to-be grandfather, I'm glad they did." The father looked back to the bed. "I made a lot of mistakes when Junior was growing up, after my wife died. I couldn't look at him and not see her, and it hurt my heart too much." Then he took Tony's hand and spoke to the prone figure. "But I swear, I'll be there for you and your family."

"I'm going to hold you to that. They both need their family around now," Gibbs said. He sent an unspoken message, one that Senior got, loud and clear.

"They will have their family around them. All their family."

Gibbs nodded once more, a happy smile on his face.


	15. Chapter 15

_Some Ziva and Ellie bonding. I can see the two of them becoming friends. Ziva could give her tips on how to survive being the probe and Ellie has an ear to commiserate with._

 _It has to be a little hard for the analyst turned agent. The way it was treated on the show, Ziva's name was barely said after she left and now having her back, the newbie has to feel extraneous. It's something Ziva can understand and be sympathetic to._

 _I had to include another of my all time favorite episodes in here. I miss Mrs Mallard and her pack of corgis (I'm also, at a later date, usurping a nickname recently bestowed. I'm sure that if the team had been made aware, it would be Tony and Ziva's child who would have begun the tradition.)_

Ziva was not all that surprised when, instead of a coffee shop near the hospital, Ducky took her and Ellie Bishop to a diner further into the city of Baltimore. She protested briefly, but Ducky replied that besides a hearty meal, Ziva needed fresh air, preferably away from the hospital. While she was still anxious about Tony, she did little to fight her friend's suggestion when they headed to eat.

On the way there, Ziva observed Ellie. The probationary agent had chattered on nervously, which she could tell was a habit by the way she rambled. Not quite Abby-esque, but just as endearing. They exchanged light conversation as they sat down and ordered, with Ducky helpfully bridging any extended periods of silence they might have encountered.

Then the other woman brightened. "Oh, I almost forgot." She reached into her pocket and withdrew a gold chain that glistened in the sunlight. "Um, after you all left," she turned to acknowledge Ducky as well as Ziva herself, "I remembered having seen this one day when I was looking in Tony's desk for some snacks. I thought it may have been his but after meeting you in the bullpen, I realized it wasn't his, but yours, and when I got to the hospital, Tim confirmed it."

Ziva saw the Star of David hanging from the chain. Her memory flashed back to leaving it dangling on a picture frame in the house in Israel, and then in Tony's possession when he finally found her. With Ellie still holding it, Ziva's fingers lightly pushed it towards her, examining it. "I wore this since I was a teenager," she told them. "But after…after everything that happened the past year, I could not bear to even see it."

Ellie's eyes flitted to Ducky. The older man seemed to be analyzing her words, trying to think of something to maybe comfort or console her. "It is a symbol of your home, Ziva, your culture. Symbols can be powerful things, can do many things, even heal."

Ziva shook her head. "That is the thing. I do not see Israel as my home. I really did not, even when I went back, after I resigned. There was no one left for me there. My family is all but gone." She looked up to him, tearing her eyes away from the necklace. "Is that not what home truly is, where your family is?"

He let out a sigh. "Family is more than blood, Ziva. You know that as well as I." Then he nodded towards her stomach. "And, not all of your blood has passed on. Remember that."

She smiled and looked down. It still amazed her, the life growing inside of her. Tony was right, it would have been a moment to be captured on film when she had learned she was pregnant. But she had been alone, save for the doctor who confirmed it. There was a brief suggestion of her not wanting it, but she dismissed it before the woman finished her sentence. It was from then on that it plagued her, sending Tony away, not getting on the plane with him.

Again, Ellie's eyes skitted to the doctor. Her hand must have been tiring from being held out so long. "You...you gave it to Tony?" she asked, trying to break yet another uncomfortable silence.

"I left it for him," she said at last. "There was a concern for my safety, for all our safety. I had taken care of myself, but it was a message that I was alright." She took the jewelry at last. "Tony always had a way of picking up my messages, even the ones I did not know I had sent." She smiled. "Thank you for returning it." As she clasped the necklace closed, she thought of something. "Did he ever tell you how we met?"

Ellie shook her head. "I know…" she paused, not wanting to say the uncomfortable truth. "They've spoken about Agent Todd, actually more than...you."

A cloud of sadness descended briefly. But then she laughed. "Tony was talking to himself. I caught him, but he claimed it was phone sex," she explained. "As I got to know Tony, I would not have been surprised. But when he was in Israel a few months ago, he admitted he was talking to her."

"We all did, my dear," Ducky said softly. "As you know, it is not unusual for me, but for once, I imagined she was replying to me."

"Well, he also said he was doing a bit more than that." She wore a smile on her face that was knowing. "Hence the 'phone sex'," she added as she made the sign for air quotes.

"A few weeks ago, when Tim's girlfriend Delilah was injured in an attack, he needed to submit for a mandatory psych evaluation. He saw the doctor, gave her answers because wanted to get back to work as quickly as possible, but she came in looking for Gibbs to tell him Tim wasn't coping as well as he wanted to seem," Ellie began, her nervous tone coming back. "Anyway, the doctor, when she came in, she saw me at your...my...the desk and told me that there were big shoes to fill in there. That was when I started reading up on both you and Agent Todd."

Ziva nodded. "It was Doctor Cranston, correct?" When Ellie nodded to the affirmative, Ziva continued. "She is Agent Todd's sister." There was a fleeting thought of Ari in that sentence.

"Oh, I didn't realize, I mean, I knew but…"

Thankfully, the waitress returned with their meals and they eat in silence for a few minutes. At last, Ducky started up again, one of his classic anecdotes about something tangentially applicable to something mentioned. This time, it was an amusing story about Tony, Kate, his mother and her pack of corgis. It seemed, there was a case that put him, and by extension, the late Mrs. Mallard, in danger and in need of a protection detail. Kate's job was to protect him, while Tony was given the job of watching over his mother, unfortunately in the midst of her mental decline. "When we went to retrieve another 'gift' the killer left at my doorstep Tony was under the mistaken impression that Gibbs was switching them around. Unfortunately, he was left to herd the dogs and eventually, groom them, under the supervision of my mother. He was not happy, to say the least."

Both the women laughed at the story, despite the grave circumstances of it, which led to Ziva telling Ellie about their undercover op as the late, married assassins, which in turn, ended with Ellie sharing some of her experiences with Tony in the last few months.

In the end, breakfast extended to early afternoon as she allowed them to walk her around the Inner Harbor. As much as she wanted to be near Tony at the hospital, she remembered the nurse had told her he would be asleep for quite some time. In truth, she needed to be moving around after what had been a long day of plane, car and hospital seats.

She was grateful to be back with her family, the one she had truly come to rely on for the past few years. It had grown, as she looked to Ellie Bishop, and would grow further. That alone gave her hope for better days ahead.


	16. Chapter 16

_There are a lot of things about Tony that Tim McGee just doesn't want to know...or even think of. Unfortunately, here he is, stuck with two women who probably wouldn't mind knowing those details. Tim is doing his level best to not go there._

 _He also has his concerns about Delilah and how what has happened to Tony and Ziva will affect her. It's a tad overprotective of him, since even though Delilah may not know her, I don't see her as someone who wouldn't feel happy for two people who were going to be parents. Tim is also worried because he sees Abby and Delilah conspiring together and, well, that would make anyone worry._

 _Please, I do like hearing from you. Keep them coming!_

"I still can't believe it," Abby said as they made their way to DC. It was scary, but that was just what Tim was thinking the moment Abby said it.

"I know. I was scared there too. Especially the way Gibbs sounded on the phone." Tim thought back remembered the boss barely being able to get the words out. He must have had seven things going through his brain at the same time.

"No, not that. I knew Tony'd be fine," Abby corrected. Tim shot her a disbelieving look. He was well aware that that was not what her first reaction was. "Okay, I was a mess," she conceded, again seemingly reading his mind. "But what I meant was, I can't believe they're going to have...have a baby!" Her eyes beamed brilliantly. "Oh, I need to get them stuff. Bassinets and mobiles and lots and lots of stuffed animals!"

"Abby, breathe!" Time could see where this was heading and he wanted to stop it before it got too far. "Right now, I get the feeling that getting Tony out of the hospital is everyone's primary concern." Then he heard his phone ping. "Can you get that?"

Abby picked it up "Delilah. She's asking if there's been any developments."

"Text her back. Let her know we're on the road to DC for a shower and for both Ziva and Tony's things," he asked.

Abby did so and the phone pinged again. "She says, and I quote, 'Am out SICK. Will meet at your place if you want company.' Want me to let her know I'm with you and it's going to be a quick turnaround?"

Tim nodded. "But let her know that's alright." After Abby complied, there was a bit of silence, which he broke. "Can you just picture Tony was a father?"

"He'd be like, the most awesome father there ever was!" she replied back. "I mean, he'd school them in the fine art of movies, tease them mercilessly, stuff like that. I mean, really, he's just a big kid himself."

"Don't I know that," he muttered.

"Come on, McGee. You know he only does that stuff cause he loves you," she told him as they turned off the Interstate.

Tim had to admit, at least to himself, that she had a point. He just wished Tony would grow up a little bit. "You know what this means," he said sardonically. "Ziva's gonna have two kids to worry about."

"McGee!"

"Well, it's true! You said it yourself!"

Abby contemplated in silence. "What do you think it is, boy or girl?"

That made him smile wickedly. "You hear Vance when he noticed her? I think he's right. Girl."

Abby didn't respond as they pulled up to his place. As he got out, Delilah pulled up behind him. "Hey, Abby," she said as she joined them. Then she turned to Tim. "How is he?"

"He's awake, or at least he was. Doctors' gave him a sedative. Said he'd be out for awhile."

Abby nodded as she continued. "We're going to make a few stops and then head back. You want to come?"

Delilah looked to him. "Oh, I don't want to get in the way."

"No, I think Tony'd appreciate it. You can reciprocate, cheer him up," Abby reassured.

Delilah seemed to agree and they headed into his place. "Look, I'm going to jump into a quick shower, then we'll head over to your place, Abby, then to Tony's then to Gibbs'"

Delilah's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why Gibbs'?"

"Oh, well, it seems," Abby began, looking his way. "Look, get a movin'. I'll update her on all the latest."

Tim looked at her reluctantly. He was never entirely comfortable with her hanging out with his co-workers especially without him present. It wasn't that he didn't like it, it was just he had no way of controlling them. And Delilah, well, she could aline more with their freewheeling, more than he could. But Abby gave him an insistent look, shooing him towards the bathroom. He left, although not too happily.

He knew Abby was going to tell her about Ziva being back, and pregnant. Delilah was still getting use to the fact that she'd be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life, barring some miracle. He had no idea if the doctors had ever said anything about the possibility of pregnancy for her. Kids were still a bit of a ways down on his list, though they were there. He was just now thinking about asking her to move in with him. He'd even brought the matter up to his landlord, who was looking into it for him.

Those thoughts occupied him the whole time he was washing up. As he emerged back into his living room, he heard the whispers of the two women. Now he panicked. He came out and confronted them "What are you two talking about?"

Abby straightened up from the squat she was in and Delilah clammed up. "Nothing Timmy! Why would ask that?!" Abby replied too quickly.

"Because I heard the two of you." He narrowed his eyes. "Delilah?"

But she shrugged her shoulders unapologetically. "Girl talk, that's all." Then she wheeled herself around to his door. "We've still got a couple of place to go, right? Abby said she want's to get back to the hospital ASAP."

It was obvious neither of the women were going to let him in on whatever they were talking about. On the way to Abby's, Tony's and then to Gibbs', he began to worry what it could be. Delilah seemed to have not been put off when Abby brought up the baby again in the car. That worried him even more. It indicated to him that they were on something conspiring together.

They arrived at the Gibbs residence and entered through ever-unlocked front door. Looking around the rooms, he saw two suitcases and assumed they were her. Ziva had texted them the lock code and the two women set off sorting through her things and tossing them into a bag Abby brought with her. He pretended to look elsewhere, as he was unsure how Ziva (or Tony) would react to him seeing her personal...things.

"Okay, I think we've got everything she'd need for a few days," Delilah said at last.

"Wait, one moment," Tim said as he saw something shining in the dim light. He pulled out a picture frame of Ziva and Tony on a Vespa, with the Eiffel Tower in the background.

Abby smiled at it as well. "I still think she was lying, by the way."

"Lying about what?" asked his girlfriend.

"Oh, they were on a protection mission a few years ago and both said the other took the couch for the overnight in Paris. But now, Ziva admitted that they 'shared' the bed," Abby began to ramble. "So, why don't we go halfsies on the bet? You were technically right, but I still don't believe it."

Tim looked heavenward again. He didn't want to get into this again. He didn't even want his mind to go in that direction. Unfortunately, Delilah wasn't going to allow him that peace either.

"Oh, I have to agree with Abby there, Tim. Just look at the way they took together. Like two pieces that fit perfectly," she opined. "They were totally doing it since at least that time. Maybe we should bring it with us to the hospital?"

He did as suggested, but was going to the end of his patience. "Okay, out. We've got a drive ahead of us and the traffic's going to be getting bad pretty soon." Neither moved. "I'm serious. We need to go," came his next set of words. It was verging on a whine, but at least it seemed to have worked.

They got situated back into the car and headed back to Baltimore. It was quiet until, as he feared, the traffic stopped on I-95. _It's going to be a long day,_ he thought.

"Actually, I remember when they went undercover as a married couple," Abby said at last. "They were 'acting' so good in bed, even had the FBI fooled." Then she launched into that story for Delilah's sake, who seemed enthusiastic to hear it.

Tim closed his eyes and tried to unhear it. It had been bad enough working that op sting with them as it was. He really didn't want to rehash it. That was when he knew he was right; it was going to be a long drive up north.


	17. Chapter 17

_Poor Tony! He gets interrupted from a nice little fantasy and then has to face his father AND Gibbs...together. Never a good thing. Then, add Tony's personal FBI nemesis Ron Sacks (a character I would have loved to have seen more of over the years) and he gets even more frustrated. I always thought they could end up being the younger versions of Gibbs and Fornell._

 _And then, he sees Ziva and all he wants is to be alone with her. His head's a little clearer, so he wants to confirm some things he thinks he hears. Can they all just give the guy a break?_

 _This was a fun chapter to write and I'd love to hear what you all think about it. Drop a comment!_

 _When Tony opened his eyes, he saw Ziva's face in front of him. "Hey gorgeous," he drawled, still feeling the affects of the painkillers and sedatives._

" _Hey yourself," she replied._

" _I am so glad you were not a dream. You have no idea…" He found that he could not finish that sentence._

" _No idea what?" she prompted._

 _He found the courage to tell her. "I was lost without you. I wasn't sleeping, I was being nice to McGee and Palmer. I just wasn't myself." He cupped her cheek. "I told you years ago, in that camp, I couldn't live without you. Showed me I was right."_

 _Her eyes dipped a bit. "I am sorry for that."_

" _Just don't ever leave me, like, ever again. I just don't function without you, alright? Just promise me that."_

 _Her smile turned sad. "I can't make promises like that. You know life is fleeting." Then she wore it, that smile edging towards smirk, so knowing, so sexy. "But I can promise you fun times while I'm here."_

 _It was then that he noticed two things about Ziva. One, her belly was flat. Wasn't she pregnant? Hadn't she said that when he first woke up from the coma? Or was she not that far along as he thought? The second thing he noticed was she was dressed up in a nurse's uniform. But not any nurse's uniform. One he never, ever thought he see on her._

 _A naughty nurse. Was it Halloween?_

Tony awoke from his fantasy, some relief washing over him, but a good deal of frustration as well. He wanted to see where the dream led. Well, at least if he was fantasizing about sexy health care workers, they wore Ziva David's face. Anything else and he knew he'd be in trouble. Then he noticed it was not all fantasy.

"Mr. DiNozzo, I'm glad you woke up," said a young, pretty, blonde nurse at his bedside. She was almost a stereotype of a the typical woman he would have chased years ago, before she walked into his life and turned it upside down. "I'm your afternoon shift and I was just coming into check your vitals."

"Where? Who?" His mind was mush, from the drugs to the dream. The nurse didn't respond, at least in anyway he understood then stepped back at last and left the room, consulting with two men.

Maybe he should have stayed asleep. It was never a good thing when his father and his boss were talking. He felt like he was back in boarding school and the headmaster called Senior to report something he had done wrong. But this was worse. Those two didn't particularly like each other.

He felt it only got worse when the two men re-entered the room. His dad perked up, seeing that he was awake but Gibbs was as he always was, stoic with a hint of warmth. "Well, Junior, that pretty young lady there said you could have some visitors," he said unnecessarily.

"Dad?" he asked with a bit of confusion. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"

"Got here as soon as I could. McGee called me with the news and Vance called to offer a lift from Chicago."

He knew his father. It was surprising to him that the older man was even here now. He hadn't been there last time he ended up in a hospital. Tony knew that still pissed Gibbs off, despite how far the father and son had repaired their relationship.

Gibbs seemed to read his incredulity. "He's right, DiNozzo. Leon got him a jet to take him here. He's been at your bedside as long as the rest of us."

"And worried sick!" Tony knew what his father was about to say and decided to cut him off. "We talked about just something like this-"

"Who else is here?" Tony asked, ignoring his father's worry for as long as possible. Gibbs didn't answer. He didn't need to. The look said it all. Everyone, McGee and Abby, and Ducky and Leon and Bishop were there, or at least had been at some point. Still unsure of what exactly was a dream and what was reality, he ventured a question. "Ziva?"

A single nod. "Ducky and Bishop took her to get a full meal. Girl flew in from Israel yesterday and even then, scarcely looked like she had anything to eat for a while. Not good for a mom-to-be."

So that part hadn't been a dream. He let out a long breath, relieved he wasn't going that crazy. "I thought...I mean, I had a dream where I was imagining things," he told them. Then he saw the smirk on his boss' face. Tony's face must have given it away because, oh, he knew what type of dream Tony was talking about.

"Nope, it's no dream. You're going to be a father," Senior smiled, unable to keep the expression off his face.

Then Tony thought about his father's comment regarding the nurse. "Where's Linda?"

The beam from his father dimmed a bit. "You know I was in Chicago when I was told. I have called her and she would be down, but her daughter just gave birth. I told her it wasn't a problem, that you'd understand."

Yes, Tony understood well enough alright. He was just about to challenge his father when they were joined by another woman. "Gibbs, Tony, it's good to see you," she said.

"Dr. Cranston, how did you…?" Tony asked, with Gibbs seemingly interested too.

"Director Vance let me know what happened and I decided to see how you were," the psychiatrist answered. The she noticed the other man in the room. "Dr. Rachel Cranston," she informed Senior as they shook hands.

" _Buongiorno, Signorina."_ Out came the DiNozzo charm. "Anthony DiNozzo. The original."

Tony closed his eyes. Something definitely happened with Linda. He decided to ignore it for the moment. "Well, since you're here, I guess we can do the psych eval, and I can get back to work!"

The woman laughed. "You know the answer to that, Tony. I just came by to see you, as a friend. You've got quite a road ahead of you before I see you professionally."

"And Lord knows, you need to see a shrink," came a new voice. Everyone in the room turned as Tobias Fornell of the FBI arrived another man beside him. And, just to make Tony's day,it was Agent Ron Sacks who accompanied him. It was he that made the snarky comment.

"How you doing, DiNozzo?" the older agent asked, a note of genuine concern in his voice.

"Well, not so great, having been shot multiple times." The answer was vintage Tony, no matter how concerned the other man was. He knew he was Gibbs' friend and all, he just had a tad bit of dislike for the folks from the J. Edgar Hoover Building. "What are you doing here anyway, Fornell?"

"Federal agent shot makes it our case, DiNozzo, remember?" Slacks, again, just as pleasant as before.

Tony shot Gibbs a look. The boss was allowing this? He merely shrugged his shoulders. "We're giving them a forty-eight hour head start," he said by way of explanation. "Of which you have forty hours, Tobias." Then he threw a look at the other man. "Then, it's back to joint NCIS-FBI."

"And I'd like to use some of that time, if you don't mind Jethro," Fornell said, beginning to question him.

"Hey, Tony, thought you could use a few things," McGee's voice piped up from the hallway, stopping Fornell. Then he looked up. "Uh-oh."

"'Uh-oh' is right, Timmy Tim-Tim," Tony groaned, laying his head back on the pillow at the addition of his teammate, Abby and, it seemed, his girlfriend, DOD Delilah. He only picked it up when he heard another new voice.

"Well, it seems someone is Mr. Popular," Ziva's voice commented from the back of the group, with Ducky and Bishop accompanying her.

It was then that Tony had had enough. He had to get a lot of things straight and he didn't want to waste time with anyone's crap. "Alright, folks, as much as I love all of you, I want you all out. I need to have a more conscious talk with the mother of my child," he yelled, channeling his best Jack-from-The-Shining impression. He saw a number of eyebrows raised at that. Those calmed him down. "Please?"

Almost everyone filed out after that, expect Ziva, who he wanted to stay, and Abby, who said, "Oh, McGee and I stopped by your place and Gibbs' and we got you overnight bags 'cause I doubt Ziva brought anything when she came to see me at the Navy Yard and well, I'm sure they had to cut your close off in the ER and..."

She saw his look. He took a calming breath before he began. "Thank you, Abby. Can we please be left alone?"

Abby hesitated for a second, looked to Ziva then wrapped her arms around him as gently as she could. "Don't scare me like that again, okay?"

When she stepped back, he just nodded to her. Abby turned to Ziva and smiled before exiting with the others. At last, they were alone.

For a minute, Tony didn't know what to say. Then, he thought of some that occurred to him. "Okay, if you haven't noticed, I've been a little out of it. I know we've talked, but I get a sense we haven't really...talked. Can you start from the top please?"


	18. Chapter 18

_If the last chapter was fun, this one was fun time a thousand! Fornell is one of the few recurring characters I'm giving a POV to. He's been around long enough and had to deal with DiNozzo enough times to warrant it. And he's got that dry wit that I find so amusing. He's a little behind, but when he figures everything out, boy will he have a comment or five!_

 _On that note, I would love to hear your comments on Fornell's comments! Please, they are always appreciated._

Tobias Fornell considered Jethro Gibbs to be one of his best friends, not that he'd admit it to the other man. By extension, he had admired the team Gibbs had built up around him this last decade. Again, he was loathe to voice that praise out loud.

From the start, Tony DiNozzo was the heart of the team. A goof-off? Yes. A bit underhanded, when it was needed? Oh. definitely. A general pain in the ass? He worked for Gibbs, that went without saying. But he was also one the the most intelligent, most dogged, most loyal man Fornell knew, to his job, to his team, to his boss.

He'd been enjoying a late dinner with Emily and Diane when the call came about the shooting in Baltimore. Despite, or made because of, his relationship with the NCIS crew, his boss had offered him the lead on the shooting, which he accepted. After calming down an unusually hysterical Diane (say what you will about her and Gibbs, she did still care about him) and learning it had been DiNozzo who was shot, he headed out, first to the scene. It took a while, and it seemed to be under control by the coroner and the forensic team, so he decided to move on to the hospital, again, mostly because Diane had texted him twenty times since he had left. Diane must not have believed him when he corrected her, before he even walked out the door.

Ron Sacks was already there. _This'll be fun,_ he thought, groaning inwardly. Sacks and DiNozzo never got along and it only made matters worse when Tony had been accused of murder, with Sacks leading the witch hunt. It had ultimately been a frame-up, but the anger never cool between them. "Why are you here?" Fornell demanded.

"No offense, sir, but the director was just a little concerned about your involvement in the case," Sacks said.

"Then why give it to me?" he questioned until he realized the answer. So, it was both. "I'd have banged down his door if it had gone to someone else."

"So I'm just here to keep you honest," Sacks agreed.

Fornell harrumphed as he entered the hospital. They found the room together but before Fornell could say anything to get on people's good sides, Sacks had to start off with that smartass comment. He closed his eyes and sighed, then tried to right the ship. It didn't work. DiNozzo was wound up. There was a few more barbed comments passing between the two contingents of agents, before the volume of people in the room seemed to explode, which led the man in the bed to explode as well

And then he heard it. Huh? What did he mean by 'mother of his child'? That was when he gave Ziva David a thorough once-over and saw the slight bump in her tummy. Oh, he'd have to talk to Gibbs about that. Tobias decided to retreat, at least a bit. Yes, he and Gibbs had a lot to catch up on.

He moved to the side, joined by Gibbs, Sacks, McGee and Bishop. Okay, so they were outnumbered. Abigail Sciuto had scurried off the the side with another woman, after lagging behind everyone else. Fornell couldn't put a name to right away but he recognized her. Then he observed a man who looked like an older DiNozzo made his way to the unit's exit, followed by Dr. Mallard and a shrink who dealt with various branches of the federal government, he thought.

Gibbs called his attention to the group. As he began to conference with Gibbs, McGee, Bishop and Sacks, he noticed Abby and the other woman giving furtive glances back to the four of them, more likely McGee. That was when he realized the other woman was McGee's girlfriend. But he decided to ignore it and get to the matter at hand.

"We've gathered evidence from the crime scene and are processing it as we speak," Fornell began before Gibbs cut him off.

"You touch the body?" he asked.

"Of course we touched the body! Our ME is doing an autopsy as we speak."

"Better make sure they don't screw it up or I'll release Ducky on you," Gibbs warned pleasantly, a smile on his face.

Fornell filed that away, deciding it was best to heed the warning. "Our forensic techs are combing over the physical evidence but there was definitely someone else in that house."

"He must have escaped before the fireworks started," Sacks offered.

"Ya think, Sacks?" Fornell could see Gibbs was on a roll. "And do I need to warn you about Abby?"

Again, Fornell saw Abby looking in there direction. Had she heard her name mentioned and was she narrowing her eyes at him. He decided she was eying McGee. Just to be sure, he nodded. "Loud and clear," he said at last. Abby scared him more than the NCIS pathologist.

They chatted amicably a little while more, going over points of the case until both men dismissed their underlings with mere nods of the head. Once he was sure they were out of earshot, he slapped Gibbs on the shoulder lightly. "And that's for scaring Diane. You ruined a nice family dinner She still thinks it was you," he admonished, showing him the text on his phone.

Gibbs gave him a look that screamed 'what?' but Fornell dropped it. He knew his friend was still uncomfortable with the idea of him getting back together with the ex-wife they shared. He chose to move on. "Are my eyes and ears playing tricks on me?" he asked at last, trying to vaguely refer to what he saw of David and heard from DiNozzo.

Gibbs let out a deep breath. "I need coffee," he growled, walking away. When Fornell saw him turn back, the FBI agent followed. They found a kiosk and Gibbs ordered for the both of them. Fornell secured a bench away from the rest for them to sit on and waited for him to explain. Gibbs saw the look, but waited for the question.

This was what drove Fornell nuts about the other man. He always seemed to play games with his opponents _and_ friend. But Fornell refused to lose this time. "Well, you gonna answer the question?"

Jethro's face puckered as if he had to give up state secrets. Finally, he broke. "Yeah, she's pregnant. Yes, he's the father."

"Woohoo!" Fornell couldn't help but laugh. He knew Gibbs' rules and he knew there was one for this situation. Seems to have been thrown by the wayside by the two of them. "When did you find out?"

"Yesterday," he answered. Then he gave Tobias a sideways look. "She showed up at my place when I got home last night. Said she needed a little more time before she told DiNozzo. I sent her to bed and then, short time later, got the call about the house up here."

Fornell winced. "How serious was it?"

Gibbs knew he was referring to Tony. "Four bullets. They got three in the initial surgery, but his vital plummeted and they closed him up. Said they'd try again once he was a little stronger."

Fornell could help but shake his head. "DiNozzo a father! Who'da thunk?" Then he looked back at his friend. "I guess she's staying stateside then?"

Gibbs shook his head once again. "Don't know yet. Not my business."

The FBI agent scoffed at that. "Don't kid me, Jethro. I know how messed up her leaving left him. Little secret?" Gibbs turned to him. "You weren't coping as well as you liked to have people think."

Gibbs gave him that piercing stare. He wasn't going to cop to it, Fornell knew. And he didn't disappoint. "Maybe I was preoccupied by the fact I was caught in the twisted relationship you have with our mutual ex-wife?"

Fornell smirked. "Just tell yourself that, Gibbs." He finished his coffee and got up. "How much more time until the clock runs out?"

Gibbs looked at his watch. "Thirty-nine hours and fifteen minutes till I come off the bench."

"Then I better get back to work," he said as he turned to leave. "Oh, and don't forget. I still need to _formally_ interview you and DiNozzo."

"You know where we work," came the terse answer.

"And where you live, if need be. I'll be in touch. And tell the two of them, congratulations anyway." With that, he left to collect Sacks. Fornell was determined to hand off the ball with plenty of points to spare.


	19. Chapter 19

_One of the things that bothered me when Tony was in Israel was meeting the David family friend, Dina. It was, of course, revealed that she was going to be getting engaged to Ari, which is something I could not see at all. He was too much of a sociopath to have a functional relationship. So, head!cannon says she was was a bit delusional, which only added to her resentment of Ziva._

 _There is a good amount of Ziva burying herself in crap for all of her actions but I did need to throw in her but I did have to throw in a little humor too, like her reaction to Tony. And yes, I did throw in a nod to Weatherly's last episode. Sorry, couldn't pass it up._

 _I love all of your comments and if you wanna suggest a thing or two, I'm game!_

Once everyone, including Abby, had left the room, all Ziva could do for a whole minute was stare into Tony's eyes. They were much clearer than they had been before when she saw him and it told her he was recovering, at least from the initial procedures. She must not have heard his question, because he had to ask again. "Really, I think I need to go over some stuff again. Can you help a guy out?"

Then she smiled, wide and bright, something her face was unaccustomed to. She walked over to the bed, took his head in her hands and guided his lips to hers. "Oh, Tony, I was so scared I would lose…" She had almost verbalize it.

He chuckled softly. He knew what she was to say. "You must have read my mind. I just had a dream where I told you the same thing."

She lifted her head up, to look back into his eyes. "And what did I tell you?"

"That life is fleeting, that you can't make promises like that," he told her. Yes, it sounded like something she'd say. "But then you said we'd have fun while we could."

She saw the leer on his face and caught the meaning immediately. "That tells me, more than anything, that you are back to normal." Then she slapped him on his head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

It was her turn to smirk. "It felt appropriate," was all she answered.

He rubbed his head as he looked at her. "Okay, look, in all seriousness, just clear some things up for me." He paused, still looking at just her face. "You really are…" She could tell he was having trouble with the word.

"Knocked out?" she asked anxiously. It sounded like the chauvinist she had long known. Was this how he would react?

He laughed again, but when she gave him her narrowed eye stare, he stopped. "Ziva, come on. That's one you still have problems with? Don't answer it." Then his face turned grave. "Were you going to tell me?"

She looked down, trying to look like she was finding the chair, but in truth, she didn't want to answer him right away. He continued his intense gaze and she finally buckled. "Tony, understand that, after my father's death and after Bodner was taken care of, I still could not find any peace. Then there was the investigation of Gibbs and us all choosing to resign, I went back to Israel, thinking I could find it there. But then there was the attack on me and when I sought treatment from an old friend, I could not keep anything in anymore. I let everything spill out, hoping she would tell me what I did actually know."

"Dina Bashir," he said. "Yeah, I met her when I went looking for you. She threw up a number of roadblocks before I realized it and confronted her."

"She hated me and told me I did not deserve the man I loved because of what I did to my family...to the man she loved," she replied, feeling the sorrow threaten to burst from her once more.

"Ziva…"

He tried to say something to comfort her, but she pushed on, voicing what she had always feared was true all along. "And she was right. I killed my own brother. He was not the man I knew, the man I grew up with, but he was still my brother. I did not deserve the man I loved." Then she face him. "But then you found me. You tried to console me, to tell me it wasn't true, to get me to return, but, that was still what I saw in myself," she bit her lip, trying to stem the tears. "I knew in my heart it was not true. But it was still what I saw. If you have not noticed, I am a bit stubborn."

"A bit? No, honey, not at all." He was doing it again, making her laugh in the bleakest of times. "Ziva, I talked to her. She told me the same things. I don't know if she truly believed that Ari loved her, or she was just BSing to be cruel, but whatever the case, nothing she told you was true."

He took her in his arms and embraced her as much as he could. He always had that, the ability to comfort her. She marched on. "And then, I learned that I was pregnant. And still, I struggled with not deserving any of it, any bit of happiness. I came to think I had hurt my other family, here in DC, and I could not face it, even though I knew it was what I should do."

"What finally changed your mind?" There was no harshness in his tone.

It was her turn to laugh, sardonic and ironic. "I thought about my father, what he would have thought."

Tony winced. "Never one of my biggest fans," he remarked. The comment took her back to the conference room at Mossad headquarters, watching Tony defend himself against Eli David for the killing of Michael Rivkin. Tony had used every weapon in his arsenal, parries and thrust traded in equal measure. It was an admirable defense against a man of her father's power.

"Yes, well, then I thought about your father and how delighted he would be. Opposites they are, in everything that matters. He would be delighted by the thought of a grandchild, something I know my father would have welcomed, just not…" she shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, not with me," he admitted. Then he realized something. "Wait, it was Senior that brought you back here?"

She shook her head vehemently. "No, but it did make me, just that it reminded me how he seems to have worked at getting us together." Tony seemed to understand, as she continued. "No, it was Gibbs, at last, that got to me."

"Don't know if that's worse, Ziva," he said. "Rule 12."

"Yes, that, but, he is a man I have always had respect for. If anyone could give me unbiased guidance, give me that push that I needed, it was him," she explained. "So, I came here. There was the brief surge of bravery that brought me to your place, but it collapsed because I grew afraid of your reaction to the news, the the fact I took this long to tell you."

Tony seemed to understand. "Five months is a considerable time, but it's not like it was a couple of years and you were popping up at my door with a toddler. And, even then, I'd understand your reasons." Then she looked at her stomach. "You've been taking care of yourself, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, though I am slightly overdue for a checkup. Circumstances have changed, however. As such, Ducky's friend here connected me to a doctor in this hospital. I was coming back to see how you were and if you could accompany me while I had an examination." She looked back at the hallway. "That is where he went, to speak to your doctor about getting you out of this bed, at least for a short time."

It was then that he, too, looked for the medical examiner. "So, where is he? I mean, I think you should go right away and, sweetcheeks, I'm not letting you out of my sight if I can help it, but if you need the checkup, don't let this," he waved to the room, "stop you."

As if on cue, a doctor did show up in the room. "Hello, Mr. DiNozzo, I'm Doctor Willis."

"Ah, Doc, just the man I was looking for. Any chance of getting me out of here temporarily. We have an appointment we really should keep."

The man didn't look as cheerful after Tony's request. "Well, I have good news and bad news." He sighed before he continued. "The bad news is, I can't release you from bedrest. As you know, we removed three bullets from you when you first came in. But there is a fourth and while it's not much of a danger, you need to remain on bedrest until you are strong enough for the surgery."

"But, doc, please," he tried to plead. When he saw the doctor would not budge, he sunk back into the bed, crestfallen.

"What is the good news?" she asked. Ziva knew he was disappointed, but tried to learn something good that could cheer him up.

"Well, the good news is, you are being sprung from the ICU. We'll be moving you shortly to one of our family rooms, so if your…" She could tell he was trying to find the right word to describe her. Wife? Girlfriend?

"Partner," she concluded helpfully.

He smiled back, grateful. "Partner. If she wants to stay, the room has a bench that can be converted into a bed for her to stay. And the room is bigger, which I'm told you may need, with all the visitors you have had. Also, if your vitals stay as good as they are, then we'll perform the surgery to remove the last bullet tomorrow evening, at the earlist."

"And when will I be able to go to her doctor with her?" he asked grumpily.

The doctor repeated that he would have to wait for the second surgery and the recovery. He apologized and left. Tony and Ziva were alone again.

"If you would like, I can wait," she offered.

"No, right now, you and our baby as more important," he consoled her, taking her hand. "Maybe someone should go with you."

"Yes, I am sure I can find someone to accompany me," she said as she brought his hand to her lips, a tease in her tone. "We are alright, yes? Tony, again, I am truly sorry…"

He shushed her again, bringing his finger to her lips. Then he nodded. "Nothing to be sorry about. I may not agree with them, but I understand your reasons. What is important is, you are here, now, with me, with the rest of us." He paused, a far away look in his eyes. "Even if you can't keep a promise of forever."

She agreed. "That I cannot, but I can make a promise to try for that forever." He smiled at her and she sealed it with a kiss.


	20. Chapter 20

_Abby is the most fun to write for. She brings such excitement and fluffiness to any story. I love how she's kind of been the silent cheerleader for Tony and Ziva. So, I could not pass up the chance of her standing in for DiNozzo with at the checkup!_

 _The other fun thing to write here was Tony telling everyone to get back to work, cause, well, the FBI are involved. There's that rivalry between the two and Tony's not about to let his hospitalization stop everyone else from trying to kick the asses of the boys at the Hoover building._

 _I'm trying to vary how I ask for reviews. They really are important. Hits are good to see, favorites and follows show a writer they have people who want to keep reading, but hearing from the reader is the ultimate appreciation. Stories live and die by them._

Abby wasn't as reluctant as she may have seemed after Tony threw her and Gibbs and McGee and, well, anyone who was not Ziva, out of his room. It meant they were talking. Talking was good. They had a lot to talk about. Yes, their relationship was always complicated, but if they were talking, she took it to mean they were talking about their relationship, which had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

"They look good together," Delilah Fielding observed from Abby's side in the hallway. It looked like neither of them realized that the wall the room's door was on was merely a pane of glass. That meant that anyone who wanted to could watch them, clear as day. And Abby, nosy as ever, wanted to watch them.

She also wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. "They alway looked good together. I mean, let's face it, Tony's a good looking guy," she said, turning to Delilah before looking back at the room. "And Ziva's got this exotic, mysterious thing working for her. Kind of like Audrey Hepburn crossed with Angelina Jolie." Then she let Delilah's words sink in. "I never realized it, well, not right away. But Tony would die for her. Almost did a few times, actually."

It was then, she heard her named said by Gibbs. He was talking with Fornell and, from what she had caught, could tell Gibbs was threatening the FBI with the wrath of Abby for something. She looked at the guy and narrowed her eyes, just to get it across to him that what Gibbs had said was true. Fornell seemed to get it.

Abby couldn't help but feel a little guilt, all of a sudden. She hadn't been exactly warm to Ziva when she first showed up. Part of it was she was replacing a woman who Abby considered a very dear friend. The second was, she was the sister of the man who had murdered that friend. But in the years since, so much had been stripped away from the other woman that, when she had left a couple of years ago and then in the last few months, Abby had been left bereft. It even paled in comparison to Kate's death.

She soon realized it was the aura that surrounded her and Tony. It broke her heart to see his broken since his return from Israel without her. He never snapped back to his old self in that time. It had gotten to the point that she thought her Tony was just as lost as Ziva, never to return.

But she saw it again, there in the room. They way they touched each other, they way they were at ease with one another. That told Abby everything would be alright.

Her face brightened and she smiled down at Delilah. "I have to make major plans! I know Tim said to go slow, but she's, what, five months along? They need to get things. Hell, Tony needs a bigger bed!"

"A bigger bed?" Her companion looked confused.

Tim rejoined them at that moment with Ellie, his discussion with the FBI having broken up. She watched as Gibbs and Fornell moved off, the word coffee coming from Gibbs' lips.

"Tony only has a twin bed," McGee briefly explained, throwing her an annoyed look. "It's a long story." Then he turned his full attention to her. "Abby, what did I say on the way back to DC? We are going to wait and see what happens with them," he practically ordered her, pointing in the direction of the room.

But Abby couldn't help it. She saw the two of them kiss and Tony move over so Ziva could sit on the bed more. "Oh, McOblivious, I think we all know what'll happen next." She must have been staring too long, because Tony saw her. He nodded to Ziva, who was also looking in their direction, and she came out again quickly.

There was no time to make it look like they all were not doing what they were doing. "Tony and I would like to talk to all of you," she informed them. However, she didn't seem annoyed at all. There was an almost unsettling calm about her. Was motherhood already mellowing her?

Obediently, the four of them filed into the room. Ziva threw a look towards Delilah, and Abby realized they two had never met. "Oh, Ziva, Delilah Fielding, Tim's girlfriend. Delilah, Ziva David." She tried to think of a good descriptor, then came up with "International woman of mystery."

She could see Ziva warm immediately. They exchanged pleasantries, when Tony asked, "Where are Gibbs and Ducky?"

"Um, Ducky?" she wondered aloud. She had seen him as they were leaving the room, but because she had stayed behind a minute longer, didn't know where he had gone.

"I saw him with Mr. DiNozzo and Dr. Cranston," Tim offered by way of explanation."

"And I think Gibbs and Agent Fornell had more to discuss," Ellie added. "Besides, it's late and I haven't seen Gibbs with a cup of coffee all day today."

"Trust me, Fearless Leader has had at least two cups by now. He's always sneaking off to get some," Tony reminded her.

Abby looked between the two of them. "So...how is everything with you?" Yes, she had seen them looking quite coupley, but that was still not enough confirmation for her.

Ziva looked down at Tony in the bed. She took his hand and smiled. "Everything is, as it should," she confirmed.

Abby exploded at that point. "So that means you're staying in DC? Because if you hurt him like that...He can't live without you...you have to stay."

Tony smile at that. "I told her on that little vacay to Somalia, the same thing. She finally realized just how true it was."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "There is still a lot we need to iron out, but for now, Tony is going to be moved out of the ICU and if all goes well, will have the procedure tomorrow for the final bullet."

Then Tony turned back to the others. "But we have a little problem. The doctor said I'm too delicate to be out of bed, and Ducky has kindly arranged for Ziva to have a check-up here," he began, then got that annoyed look on his face. "Which I won't be able to go with her to."

The words were barely out of his mouth when Abby jumped up and down, arm raised as is waiting for the teacher, or Gibbs, to call on her. "Oh, me, me. I'll go. I'll be happy to go!"

She could see the smiled bursting off of Tony's face. "Well, with that settled…" He turned to McGee and Bishop. "Status update," he ordered.

Tim's and Ellie's eyes side toward each other in perfect synchronization. "Um, well, Tony, it's just that…" the blond began.

"See, because a federal officer was injured in the line of duty…" Tim tacked on.

"And Vance has generously given us a forty-eight hour pass…" came the next comment from Bishop.

"Which Gibbs and Fornell seemed to have called a truce on…"

Tony threw his hand up to stop them. Abby could tell that he was getting more annoyed by the minute. "Listen, guys, really, I'm touched that you all have stuck around for me, but do we want the FBI nosing in? I mean, come on Abby, do you want the FBI putting their slimy paws on your evidence? Is Ducky really happy to let them have first crack at the body I am sure Gibbs laid out there after he shot me?" He put on his most adorable, puppy-dog pleading expression. "Look, you all don't have to stay. I'm sure they're going to dope me up a few times more, so a great conversationalist, I will not be. I'd much rather have you getting to the bottom of this."

Abby looked around the group. Then she took a deep breath. "Tony!" she began until he looked at her again. You're right. I do want to get back to work. And I will," she said as she looked to Ziva, "once I go with her to the checkup."

"I have a suggestion," Ellie chimed in. "Why don't we go back to DC and come back here when you go into surgery? That way, we can investigate further, but still be here for the two of you?"

"Or," Abby continued, "we can take shifts. I'll take the first one, since Ziva's going to be seeing her doctor."

"It's a good idea," a voice said from the door. They all saw Gibbs standing there, back from the crowd. "I think I can get Vance to sign off on it, if you're alright with it."

Ziva looked down at Tony. "No amount of insistence on our part will force them to do what we want. I think Ellie and Abby have a workable compromise."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Fine, Abby, you can stay."

"And I'll be here too," Gibbs replied.

"Boss?" Tony looked confused. "Don't you want to beat Fornell to the punch?"

Gibbs nodded as he shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but I gave him my word. He's still got over thirty-six hours before I come charging in." Then he gave them all that enigmatic smile of his, and Abby felt a shock of electricity go through her. He had a card up his sleeve, one he may not have even realized he had. "But I never said the rest of you." Then he looked to Bishop and McGee. "Do I need to spell it out any more? Go! Head back together and leave a car for Abby. Get to work finding out what the FBI knows. I want to have a little surprise for the FBI when we get back."

The two of them scurried out of the room before he turned his attention to Abby. "And the minute she finishes seeing the doctor, that includes you, got it?"

Abby had a supreme smile on her face, because, in truth, she did want to get back examine the evidence, but she also wanted to be a friend. She nodded to Ziva and Tony, then brought her attention back to Gibbs. Yes, she would help the team get to the bottom of all this.


	21. Chapter 21

_Ducky the storyteller. As much as it can annoy Gibbs and the others, it's one of his sweeter quirks. It also works well to supply backstory to those who don't know. And he gets to put his profiling to use on Senior._

 _I also thought it would be nice to give Rachel another facet of Tony that her sister saw. She is a good character to have around, again to reminisce about the past. We will see more of her later, in a more professional capacity._

 _Please, please, keep the comments coming!_

A part of Donald Mallard smiled when Anthony DiNozzo threw the lot of them out of the room. He saw the look in his eyes, knew the man had to talk with Ziva, the mother of his child, and he didn't want an audience for it. Despite his years of bluster and childish antics, especially with women, Ducky knew the Tony care a great deal for Ziva. He had always suspect the feeling was reciprocated, but she was such an enigma, he was never sure. It would appear, however, that was so.

Ducky did as he asked and left. As he exited the room, he noticed Dr. Rachel Cranston. "Well, it is lovely to see you, Doctor. Is this a professional call?"

Rachel smiled at him as she replied, "Not entirely. Director Vance gave me a call early this morning to tell me what had happened and asked me, when the time came, to do the evaluation for returning for work." Then she dipped her head a little. "Actually, I'm here now more out of personal concern." Ducky understood the meaning, even after she elaborated. "Kate was very...fond of him."

He chuckled at the memory of the former member of Gibbs' team. "I did see it myself. They fought like siblings, but when the chips were down, as the saying goes, they were there for each other."

"Yes, she told me he was once infected with the plague?" Dr. Cranston asked. "Kate had mentioned it at a get together, but then, we were interrupted and she never got back to it." Again, she graced him with another warm smile. "Dr. Mallard, I know of your penchant for storytelling. If you don't mind, I'd like to hear that one?"

He chuckled a bit, leading her to a bank of chairs. "There was a mother whose daughter had accused a number of Navy midshipmen of rape and when the case was not prosecuted, well, a few years later, this woman, a child of the Sixties who had access to contagines, sent a SWAK to NCIS. Anthony, assuming it was for him, opened it. As he and Catlin were the closest to the powder when it was opened, both were quarantined and it was Tony who tested positive." He grew somber at the memories. "But Catlin, she refused to leave him for a long time while Gibbs and the rest of us searched for the perpetrator and a cure. But it appeared to get critical for him and she was no longer able to stay with him. Thankfully, by that time, the virus, which had a timing mutation to it, had run its course and Tony would be alright. While he recovered, she went back into quarantine with him and kept him company for the night, while he rested."

"That is so like her," Rachel gasped, as she seemed to have connected the experience with something in their past.

"How serious was it?" came a question for Ducky.

He looked up and saw Tony's father, Anthony Senior. The man tried to appear calm and at ease, now that Tony seemed to be recovering for his latest grievous injury, but Ducky could tell the signs of panic. Rachel must have noticed the same, because she excused herself, promising to remain in touch with Vance for updates on Tony.

When she left, Senior took her seat. Ducky had had rather little contact over the past few years with the older man, and, in truth, never heard the best things about him, from his son or Jethro. Neither were unbiased opinions so Ducky chose to have a conversation with the man to draw his own conclusions.

Ducky knew, from Tony's grousing, that while he gave off the airs of a wealthy jet-setter, that had not been the case for some time. Gibbs had mutter the term 'conman' once, but from all that Ducky had learned through office gossip, it had never been intentional or criminal.

So, he began to talk to the man. The father seemed in need of just that. "Well, it was quite serious, from everything we observed. I did truly fear we would lose him, but Jethro came in and told Tony he would not die because the illness had run it's course."

"I remember...I remember receiving a call about it from your office, but I didn't think it was that bad," the man replied.

Ducky knew the man was lying because he has made the contact himself. It had been a voicemail, but standard procedure was to notify family. However, he chose not to call him on it. "In the end, it was rather like a severe flu, but it did leave some scarring on his lungs...which turned out to be a good thing a few years later."

"How?" The man seemed genuinely curious, as if there was more about his son's work he did not know.

Ducky sighed as he began. "Anthony was, we believed, killed in a car bomb. What there was of the body that we retrieved was the height of your son, driving his vehicle, but as I conducted my autopsy, I found no sign of the scarring. We later learned that an associate of a target we were tracking was the poor soul, but there was a time there…" He could not finish the sentence.

Senior shook his head. "I had no idea. Junior has never delved too deeply into his work, probably because he doesn't want me to worry. But it's on my mind every day that something could happen, that I could lose him, lose whatever I have left of his mother."

Ducky understood what he was saying. It gave him a new insight into the man, one that Ducky found ironic. "Don't tell Jethro I told you this, but you two are quite alike."

The smirk reminiscent of his son's appeared on his face. "Oh, but that is something I would want to tell him," Yes, to wind him up, Ducky suspected. "Though I don't see the resemblance myself."

"How many wives have you had, Mr. DiNozzo, if you don't mind me asking?"

A narrowed-eyed glare faced Ducky. "My son has told me that you're some kind of profiler." The doctor inclined his head, agreeing to answer the question. Senior harrumphed. "More than I care to count."

"Fair enough," Ducky began. "Gibbs was married about thirty years ago. He had a wife and a young daughter. While he was away for Operation Desert Storm, his wife, Shannon, witnessed a murder by the leader of a drug cartel. She bravely chose to testify for the prosecution. Unfortunately, she was kill in a hit that also claimed the life of her daughter."

DiNozzo's face fell. "Tony's never told me that."

"I suspect not. Your son, for all his flamboyance, is a kind soul who cares greatly for those he is close to," Ducky described. "In truth, we never knew until several years ago. Jethro never spoke about it and has never uttered a word since. I've known him, oh, twenty years and it was news to me when our director at the time learned of it." He paused then, again wrapped up in memories. "Jethro has since married three times. None lasted more that a few years."

He could tell the story was familiar to the other man. "Since Tony's mother died, the most one of mine lasted was five years."

"And as such, I have seen your son, while having an eye for the ladies, make actual connections with women sparingly and, when he does, take them very seriously. Even if they are a means to an end." Ducky looked back towards Tony's room. "Ziva left us a few years ago. We then were led to believe that she had been killed on a mission for Mossad. But something in Anthony drove him to the wild belief she was alive. He was proven correct."

He saw the other man's gaze follow his. "I could tell they had a connection before I ever saw them together," he admitted. "A few months ago, I got a terse email from him saying she had left and he didn't want to hear it anymore." His voice seemed to crack momentarily. "I did have a sliver of hope, that one day there, she'd be more to him."

Ducky smiled. "Well, I do believe that that wish has come true."


	22. Chapter 22

_Gibbs getting back to business. Well, he'd need to soon, so I'm going to be delvin case soon. It really started as just the vehicle for the plot, but as I thought it out, it went through some different phases and I began to see it as more a part of the story as a whole._

 _Also, Leon got an idea in his head. He's just waiting for confirmation to go ahead full steam with it._

 _I am probably going to be cutting back on my summaries/notes. But that, does not mean I will be less encouraging in tell you I do like to hear from my readers. I'm also not above offering treats to those who do!_

After Tony had been finally moved to a proper room, he was given another dose of sedatives and fell asleep. Gibbs surmised it was better he was out when Abby and Ziva departed for the appointment Ducky had set up with the obstetrician. Abby had made him promise to stay with Tony, at least until they got back. Gibbs agreed.

After a while, as the other man was asleep, Jethro decided to take care of some business. He placed a call to Vance's cellphone, figuring it was better because it was decidedly non-professional. He was amused it took half a ring to be answered.

"I guess you've got an update," he said, no question in his voice.

"He's out of ICU and the doctors are saying if he's as good tomorrow as he is now, they'll be able to operate," Gibbs reported.

"That's good news," came the reply.

"And when he woke up from the sedatives from this morning, he ordered everyone else to go back to DC and work on the case."

"Does he know about the deal with the FBI? I know Fornell was going up there to talk to you about it," Leon replied.

"Yeah, funny thing about that deal," Gibbs informed him, a smirk on his face. "I gave Tobias my word I wouldn't touch it until leave was up." Then he paused. "Didn't guarantee the same for the rest of them."

"They're coming back in, then?"

"McGee and Bishop, yes. Abby stayed behind to go with Ziva for a check-up they arranged for her here. Once that is done, she promised me she'd go back too."

Vance seemed to absorb the information. "When is the procedure being planned for?"

"Tomorrow evening, if all goes well."

"If they can make some headway, I see no reason why they can't be back there for that."

Gibbs nodded. "Thank you, Director."

"Have the two of them spoken about what happens after? I'm guessing Tony knows about the pregnancy. How did that go over?"

A chuckle escaped from Gibbs. "It actually went better than I thought. But then again, Tony does know how to act like an adult when the need arises." He looked back at the bed. "As for what happens now, I don't think they've discussed that far ahead."

"Keep me updated on that. I'm working on an idea," he said, cryptically.

"Will do." Then he ended the call. Since he had no technology to check, no email access, no smartphone, he sat quietly, a sentinel on duty. It was another hour that Tony remained asleep. Surprising, Ziva was not back yet. As his agent roused, Gibbs had a brief moment of concern, but then he saw Tony looking at him.

"Hey boss," he said.

"DiNozzo," came the brief reply. "How ya doing?"

"Everything hurts, actually. And this bed lacks any degree of comfort," he snarked, a reflex of his Gibbs knew all too well. "Any word from the team?"

"You weren't out for that long."

"Come on, how many times has Ducky just gotten someone on the table before you were looking for answers?" Tony gave him a knowing look, but Gibbs chose to ignore it. "They've said for a while I'm turning into you."

Gibbs grumbled incoherently. "I was also asking how you were…" he nodded his head towards the door.

Tony got the drift. "She's been through a lot," he replied, "and not just regarding her condition or mine. Since Director David's death, she's been hit with curveball after curveball." He looked out of the room as well. "I guess you figured Rule 12 was broken."

"Smashed to hell is more like it," Gibbs retorted. He frowned. "It was a good rule to have around, but a hard one to follow." He had issues with that particular rule himself. "I'm guessing you were BSing me from Israel."

"In my defense, I was trying to convince her to come back." Tony shook his head. "After Parsa's goons went after her and she was injured, she went to an old friend for help, a woman who was a childhood friend and neighbor. And while talking with the woman, she let it slip...she had feelings for me." Gibbs' eyebrow went up. "Yeah, would have been nice to tell me, but, well, neither here nor there now. Anyway, this woman, Dina...she claimed to have been a girlfriend, even fiancee, to Ari."

That surprised Gibbs. He hated the man's guts, even before Kate's death, and could never see him as caring for anyone else, even loving someone.

Tony got the meaning of his look. "Yeah, surprise to me too, what with him being a sociopath and all. Anyway, it seemed to bring up old resentments that she had lost the 'man she loved'," Tony made air quotes, "and she doubled down on her old friend. Told her she was...undeserving of love, any kind. And Ziva was in such a place that she believed it herself. So when I got there and met her, she took it out even further by sending me on a wild goose chase." He laid his head back down and stared up at the ceiling. "That was the Ziva I finally found. She took it as the gospel truth."

"You tried to convince her otherwise," he stated.

"Not that it did any good. And that was how we left it. I accepted her decision and got on the plane." Then he gritted his teeth. "And then, I started to get this feeling in my gut...like I left something behind, something more than just her. But I kept pushing it down, kept ignoring it. It kept me up at nights." Gibbs understood, remembering the four-days straight he pulled a few months back. "That's why I'm not angry about it with her. We both knew there were more reasons we should be together and we both…"

"You both did what you've been doing for the last couple of years," Gibbs explained with surprising gentleness. "You ignored it." He gave Tony a look as if over the top of his glasses. "I've had prime seat to it for the past eight years, DiNozzo. You think I didn't see the glances, didn't hear the underlying currents of jealousy?"

"You did a great job of ignoring it, Boss."

"It was none of my business. I thought you'd both get it sooner or later," he muttered, a frown on his face.

"Thinking back, the signs were all there. Hell, the anvils were falling all over the place." Gibbs knew what he meant, but he let him say it anyway. "There were the little things. I mean, posing as married assassins. I still remember when she told me she was 'pregnant'. I actually thought about what that meant. And then when we had the computer nerd who was using every kind of science to find the perfect man and Abby was fooling around with the baby program. She pulled up our kid."

"Then there were the big moments, like the day you stood up and said no to me," Gibbs added. He still remembered it, clear as if it was yesterday. Another case, another drive to a crime scene...and Tony stopped them all. He voiced what everyone from Leon on down wanted to do. If Ziva was alive, bring her home. If she was dead, avenge her.

"Or before that, when I knew Rivkin was playing her and all I wanted to do was protect her," he replied, his trademark grin on his face. "Even though she is more than capable protecting herself."

"You stood up to Eli for her. I think he actually respected you for that."

"He did a good job of hiding it." Then he grew somber, as if going over much more than he and Ziva. "Boss, I hate to ask you this…"

"Ask away."

He still hesitated for a moment. "What was it like the first time you held your daughter?"

Of all the questions Tony could ask, that was the one he had least expected. It nearly overwhelmed him, seeing again in his mind this tiny bundle of rosy flesh engulfed in a pink blanket, one that had been her mother's. He'd tried to get rid of it, long ago, after it happened. But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do that. It had been Shannon's, then Kelly's and he couldn't bear even the idea of parting with it, no matter how much pain seeing it caused him. He still knew where it was.

"It was the moment my life felt complete." He wanted to add that was the reason he never spoke of them. When they were taken, so too, he felt, was his life.

Tony nodded, unsaid words from the past decade passing between them. That was when Jethro noticed Ducky had returned, with DiNozzo Senior.


	23. Chapter 23

_DiNozzo men, talking it out. Both are, as the expression goes, testa dura, hard-headed. It takes a lot for them to open up and they both have emotional scars to deal with. I also rewrote the reason for Senior's breakup with his fiancee Linda. It would have been more logical for them to have realized they carried more baggage from their late spouses than anything else. So, they part more graciously._

 _Reviews! Reviews! Reviews! I love them!_

As Dr. Mallard and Senior approached the door to his son's room, he overheard Gibbs' answer to Tony and it resonated with him. He remembered the day Tony was born. He had almost not made it to the hospital in time then, and it had been a running joke between him and his wife for years. Unfortunately, it had also become a pattern of his ever since.

Gibbs saw both men and nodded his chin in the direction of Ducky. "I need a refill, Duck. You wanna get something?"

Ducky looked between the DiNozzo's and heard his friend. "Yes, Jethro, I think I could use a strong cup of tea."

This was usually the time that Junior would grasp for his co-workers to stay, not wanting to be alone with his father. But the two men left them without a peep from Tony.

They were by themselves, never the best situation for them. And they needed to talk. Communication had never been a strong suit for either of them. It had been better over the last few years, but no one would call it a functional relationship. But Anthony had made a promise to at least try. "You're looking better, son," he said at last.

"Thanks, dad," he replied. "How'd your deal in Chicago go?"

"I think there are more important things we should talk about."

Tony let out a big sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. "Okay, dad, what do you want to talk about?"

Senior sat down in the chair that Gibbs had been in. "I think I know why you didn't want to talk about it when Ziva stayed in Israel."

"I didn't know that she was pregnant, if that's what you're saying," Tony answered. "When I woke up, and she was at my bedside, she didn't even tell me right away. Ziva was being her usual cryptic self, and the drugs weren't helping the matter."

"Well, you'd just awoken from a coma. It may have been a shock to the system. I know it was to me," Senior admitted. "I knew you loved her, I just never guessed you'd acted on it." He paused, trying to find some other way of broaching the subjects they needed to discuss. "I heard a little bit of what Gibbs said to you, when I got here. He's right, you know."

That made Tony laugh. "He usually is. In the rare case he is not, we all fall back on Rule 51."

"Rule 51?" Over the years Tony had worked with Gibbs, he'd made a comment about rule this or rule that. There was never much explanation, but whatever they were, Tony seemed to have memorized them.

"Yeah Rule 51 is 'Sometimes, you're wrong.'"

"How many of these rules are there?" He was genuinely curious about them. It was rare that his son ever delved deeply into his work.

"Dad…" Another sigh. It almost made Senior wonder if Tony was having problems breathing.

"Son," he began, catching his breath. "I just can't get over the idea of being a grandfather. Do you have any plans about what you'll do now?"

Senior knew the look he was getting from his son. It had been the same one he'd received when Tony had first told him he was going to be a cop. "Well, once I'm cleared for work, I'm going back. That's about as far as I've personally gotten."

"And you and Ziva? Are you planning on being a father to your child?"

"Dad, what is this all about? If you haven't heard me clearly, I just said I only found out a few hours ago myself," Tony snapped, irritation in his voice. "Where's Linda?"

It was an obvious change of subject, but Anthony Senior allowed it. "We parted ways, actually." Tony's face fell, probably thinking the worst. "It was a mutual decision, son. We rushed things and the ghosts lingered too long. But, we've stayed friends and she said that if I ever need a plus one, to give her a call." Then he smiled at him. "But she did tell me to tell you when you're out of here, she does want to come see you."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to give her a call," he said in a low voice.

It was Senior's turn to take a breath. "I had a conversation with Dr. Mallard and he brought me up to date on a number of your...adventures." He looked out the window, knowing that the next thing he said could spark an argument. "Truth be told, I almost wish he hadn't but I overheard him telling that other woman about your bout with the plague." There is was, that exasperating look Tony seemed to constantly wear when they talked.

"Dad, I'm a cop, I get into dangerous situations. Hell, a lot of times, I run into them," he retorted calmer than his father expected.

"I know, I know. And I can see how good you are at it. Which surprises me, quite frankly. I mean, look at the the number of boarding schools you went through." Then he turned back to his son. "That was partially my fault. I never really coped with your mother's death. When you were born, I knew that as long as I had her by my side, I could do it. Then, one day, she wasn't. I never prepared myself for that day, even when she got sick." Then he stood up and took Tony's hand. "I hope you never have to go through that like I did."

It had been the most father and son had talked about their issues ever, but it felt good. It was from the bottom of Senior's heart. "You know," he continued, "Ziva actually reminds me a lot of you mom."

Tony winced at that. "Great dad, that's something every son wants to hear. And I don't see it, by the way. Mom and Ziva are complete opposites."

"Not in the slightest. Ziva may not have your mother's knack for everyday elegance, but she's got her toughness. I've seen you two together. You fight like cats and dogs at times, but never in anger. And your mother tended to show the world how strong she was, even when she wasn't."

Tony seemed to think about that. "Aside from the fact you didn't see us in Israel together when she body-slammed me and had her gun at my chest, you may," he pointed his finger up, probably to stop anything further his father was about to say about the subject, "have a point about that. That was how she was raised though. Not to show vulnerability to the world."

That made Senior think. "Does she have any family? Do they know about…" He gestured as if to indicate the two of them as a couple.

Tony shook his head. "Not much left. Maybe an aunt. I remember interrupting a conversation she had where she thought the woman was breaking up with someone. Turned out to be an aunt in Tel Aviv who didn't want to see a Mah jong partner anymore, and Ziva was just giving her advice."

That brought about a chuckle. "How did that go?"

"He wanted to apologize, but I threatened to kill him should he ever communicate with her again." Ziva's voice floated into the room. "And to answer your question, no. I have no family besides the aunts."

In the back of his mind, he thought he remembered Junior mentioning them, but he was always so closed-mouthed about anything related to work, he couldn't remember. "Your parents?"

She nodded once, firm and definitive. "Both dead, as are my siblings."

He could tell there was a great deal of pain in her words. He'd ask someone else they worked with for more details at a later date. Then, he stood up, a wide smile on your face. "Then my dear, you are now a part of ours, which I did consider you already, before any of this."

She returned the smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He was going to give her a hug when a cleared throat interrupted them. "Not that I can't be happier the two of you are getting along so well, Dad, but I'd like to have some alone time with Ziva. As you pointed out, we have things to discuss."

"Ah yes," he said finally. Senior made a graceful exit. "You know, I think I'm going to get a hotel room nearby and get some rest. It's been a...long day. I'll see you both in the morning." He didn't want to get into the middle of the two of them. He knew how they could get. Besides, he had plans to make. He left after saying, "Good night, son. I love you."


	24. Chapter 24

_This is a very vintage Tony/Ziva chapter. Bantering back and forth. Discussing things without really discussing them. But they do prepare for the future._

 _And I do love bringing up Leon's thinking. Because, in truth, it was what we all were thinking._

 _Please, read, and enjoy and review!_

After his father left them alone, Ziva stood in the doorway a few minutes more. Tony now had a fuller look at her, with a little more than a hint of a baby bump. It was still amazing to him that they had done this together. "So, how did the check-up go?" he asked, still a little annoyed that he was not able to go with her.

"That is the last time Abby goes to the doctor's with me!" she exclaimed. "You would have thought I was carrying her sibling, she was so hyper." Then she laughed as she looked at him. "Of course, she convinced me to go with her the a convenience store across the street here for her CafPow beforehand. In fact, I think this is the longest I have seen her without one. That may explain it."

As enjoyable as he found the tangent, she still had not answered his question. "Ziva, darling," he called to get her attention.

She looked at him again and walked over to the bed, taking his hand and smiling. "The doctor said all was well. There was just a slight bit of concern for my blood pressure, but after Abby gave her a recitation of not only the last twenty-four hours, but the last few years, she felt that once these stressors were no longer a concern, so too would the higher blood pressure."

Tony looked down at her stomach again. "And did you learn any more information about our little bundle of joy?"

"She asked if I wanted to know what the baby was. Abby tried to answer for me," she smirked, "but I told her I could wait. Besides, I want you there for that."

"Do you want to know if it's a boy or girl?" he asked.

She looked thoughtful. Then, she replied, "Yes, if for no other reason…"

He sensed there was a problem. "Ziva?"

"it's just that, while we were waiting for you, Director Vance made a comment, and I do believe he is correct."

A pit formed in Tony's stomach. "Do I want to know what the comment was?"

Again, she laughed. "He whispered it to Gibbs, but I heard him. He said that if there is a God, it would be a daughter. I think he was enjoying the idea of a chauvinist like you can be with a little girl."

"She won't date until she's thirty-five," he informed her, as seriously as he could be, as if to confirm the director's suspicions. "And any guy she does date will be warned; I know all the tricks. Nothing will get past me."

She laughter returned and he joined her. It was the most relaxed moment they had together since they had been reunited and he wanted it to go on forever. They had done the sexual tension for years, the little looks that at times edged more towards suspicion. They had danced around their feelings but now, it was all out in the open. He wanted that for all eternity.

"We are being asked questions," she informed him. "About this," she waved at her belly, "about us. I think we need to start thinking realistically."

"Okay," he said as he bit his lip thoughtfully, "how about this. The first thing I'm going to do when I get out of here is get a bigger bed. Queen, king, California king, whatever. I think now I'm going to need it."

"That may be a good idea," she agreed, remembering, if only vaguely, lying in his twin bed after...No, she shook off that memory. "I should also look into having my things removed from storage. But will there be enough room for it at your place? I let mine go shortly before you found me in Israel."

"Huh, yeah. We need to think that one through. But, I've never thought you were one to have lots of stuff to begin with. And also, do you need to go back and get anything from Israel?" he asked her. "From the sound of it, you just jumped on the plane with no plan. Very unlike you."

"I...I had not thought of that. And yes, in truth, all I was thinking about was getting to you when I left. I barely threw anything into my suitcase," she replied. "There are some accounts I should probably close out, but I can have an attorney do that for me. There is not much I want to bring back with me."

"Well, I'm probably going to have some leave time to recover. We could do a quick trip to take care of that," he suggested.

"Yes, that would be good. I have not told many people there, my aunts, those few who I have left," she agreed.

Tony made a face. Very often her family was the biggest complication for them. _Not that dad is a walk in the park,_ he thought. It had been because of her family that they had even met and it had been in the worst way possible. Then, Tony's interactions with Director David had been, well, less than pleasant. She must have noticed his look. "Why that face?" she asked.

"I've just been thinking. My dad is thrilled, Gibbs isn't gunning for us for breaking one of the rules," he said.

"He has broken it himself, remember?"

"Yeah, he said it was the tough one. But I can't help but think…"

"About my father?" He nodded to her. "Yes. There is a part of me that yearns to tell he is going to be a grandfather. I think he would have welcomed it."

"Even with me as the father?" Tony was highly skeptical of that fact.

"He knew you were loyal and would protect me. Even though we had little contact in the years after Somalia, he did ask me once to forward his thanks to the team. I informed him that it had been you who was the impetus, you who worked to gather the intelligence, you who believed I could still be alive."

He frowned. "'Believed' is too strong. Gibbs believed it more. He had more pieces to think that. Me, though? I wished. I hoped."

Ziva shook her head. "You believed it. I saw the look on your face when Saleem pulled the hood off. There was no shock there. No surprise in your voice. And saying it was McGee who believed it...I think the term is 'transferable'?"

He couldn't help the grin on his face. "Ziva, make me a promise that you'll never master American slang, because if you ever do, you will probably not need me around anymore. And the word is transference."

"Whatever! But my father, when I told him it was all because of you, he did not seem as disbelieving as I would have thought. 'There is a true man of honor, Ziva. They are the rarest.'" He saw the tear trail down her cheek. "And because of that, I do not think he would have minded so much." Then, she let out a yawn. "I am suddenly feeling quite tired, but it is only seven o'clock."

"Well, it's most likely the adrenaline wearing off, combined with what I am sure is a bad case of jetlag, combined with worry and a touch of being overwhelmed. I'm not surprised. Maybe you should go lie down on that pull-out bed thingie the room has," he reminded her.

She went over to the bench by the window and inspected it. A nurse's aide came in to take his readings and saw her trying to figure it out. The woman helped her, going to get her a pillow and some blankets, before turning the lights to their lowest setting and wishing the both of them a good night. Eventually, Ziva was situated on it, facing him in his bed.

"How's it feel?" he called to her from his bed.

"I have slept on terrain more comfortable than this," she groaned. Then she sat up on her elbows. "But I will survive."

"Hey, I was just wondering, out of curiosity, you still sleep with a .22 under your pillow?"

The smile on her face, even in the low light of the room, gave him his answer.

"Fine, then. Okay, now just imagine the comfy king-sized bed we'll have. Lots of pillows, one thousand thread count sheets, overstuffed down comforter," he replied gently. But she never heard him. It was a snore that was returned.

Tony loved many things about Ziva, but her snoring was never one of them.


	25. Chapter 25

_Here is a very observant Ziva and she is touched that Gibbs is there with them. But how could be not. They, all of them, really, have become his kids and he wouldn't leave their side for anything._

 _And now, it is Ziva's turn to prepare for the future. Cleaning up things in Israel, informing people of her plans (but not all of them). I can also see, from this chapter, a little ficlet in the future, the two sides of a family meeting. It would be fun!_

 _I would like to extend a special thanks to Lipush, for her help with the little bit of Hebrew in this chapter, and for anything else in the near future I may need from her!_

Ziva noticed it was dark when she finally woke up. She grabbed her bag from the floor and fished out her phone. 0300. It was not an unusual time for her to awaken, but it was unusual for her to sleep for so long. The last time she remembered that was when she was a teenager. Ziva had told Tony, once, a long time ago, that they started at 0500 at Mossad. That meant she was normally up with the darkness after going to sleep at an equally late hour.

As she roused herself some more, she noticed two things out of the ordinary about the hospital room. The first was the low glow of the light above Tony's bed. It illuminated his features at rest, a state she was not used to seeing. Tony always seemed to be verging on hyper that it was weird to see him like this.

The other thing she noticed, even in the dim glow, was Gibbs, asleep in a chair between Tony and she. It did not look comfortable at all and the angle his neck was at made her wince some more. She smiled in the dark, a feeling of protection that was unlike she had ever felt.

Of course Gibbs stayed with them overnight! It didn't surprise her really. Not taking into account the threats Abby had made to him as they arrived back at the room when Senior was inside talking to Tony, he probably would have stayed anyway. It was just like after she had been rescued from Somalia. She had been in the ship's sickbay, recovering for the ordeal, wavering between restless sleep and almost panicked wakefulness when she turned to see Gibbs, his head bowed and his chest rising and falling with each breath sitting there, watching her. It should have felt uncomfortable, but it had been the safest she had felt ever in her life.

Now, she looked at the clock again. It was after 1000 in Tel Aviv, the start of the business day. She got up from the cot and made her way quietly out of the room. She came to a lounge that was cellphone safe. The first call she placed was to her attorney, who had worked for the David family for as long as she could remember. When she had been put through, his first reaction was shock. Ziva had not really spoken to him, even in the aftermath of her father's death. Yes, she knew there was business to attend to, but she ignored it, trying to not think of even the most mundane of things. She gave the man a quick explanation that she was in Washington DC and that it would be, at last, a permanent move. She had property she wanted to sell, pretty much everything. He agreed to work on the sale of the family flat and a house outside of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, but when she told him to include the olive grove where her father had grown up, he argued against it. It had been in the family since before the existence of the state of Israel, part of her heritage, her legacy.

Ziva wanted to debate him, tell him she meant to severe all her ties to the land of her birth, remind him just how painful those memories were...and then she remembered one moment where all the pain and misery was forgotten. She place her hand on her stomach, remembering the life growing inside of her, and of where it had begun. A tear slipped down her cheek as she agreed to keep.

After clearing up much of the legalities surrounding possessions, Ziva informed him she would be returning in the near future to make it all offical. She made no mention about what she was planning to do now, nor that she was pregnant. He would learn, eventually, but now was not the time to get into such matters.

Ending the call with him, she took a deep breath and dialed another number. It was picked up after two rings. "Zivalah?" the feminine, if elderly, voice began

She couldn't help but smile. Her Aunt Nettie, her father's eldest sister, had worried for her after Eli died. The woman had been so strong, always prepared for the possibility she could outlive him and when Ziva had returned with the body, Nettie had been there, waiting with the honor guard. Ziva wanted to emulate the woman, but it was a mere visage. Now, hearing her voice brought about a feeling of warmth, of happiness. "Yes, _Doda_ , it is me."

"Oh, child, I have been so worried! I went to the orchard but you were not there, no word, no note," Nettie gasped. "Please, my heart, dear child."

It was a guilt trip and Ziva knew it. But she hadn't left word for anyone, not Nettie, not Aaron who she had been talking over the phone with, not Orli, who practically sent out a search team for her the day after Tony had left after learning that Tony had found her. The others, it was no matter, but Nettie, that she regretted. "I am sorry, but I was in a hurry to get back to DC and I just was not thinking."

"You are back in Washington?" There was a different tone in the question, but Ziva could not put her finger on what it was exactly.

Ziva cleared her throat. "Yes, there are things...that have happened and I need to be here for them." She was shuffling around, trying to be a vague as she could.

"Is it that Italian boy?" Nettie asked.

That surprised Ziva to no end. "What...what do you mean by that?"

The older woman harrumphed. "You know exactly who I'm talking about, the one who came with you to Israel a few years ago." When Ziva remained silent, Nettie continued. "The one who interrupted our conversation."

That had slipped Ziva memory for a moment. It had not been one of his finer moments with her family, but it was lower on the scale of bad than him and her father. "I didn't know you remembered him."

"My memory, child. He left quite an impression." Ziva scowled, agreeing with her. First impressions were always important, and Tony had tended to fail at them. "He was also often the topic of conversation between my brother and myself."

"Father told you about him?" That caught her off guard.

Nettie laughed. "Quite often," she began. "In the beginning, Eli voiced his strong displeasure. He thought the man was crude, arrogant, childish."

"Father was not completely wrong."

Another laugh. "But then, after you were rescued by your Navy colleagues, his opinion changed considerably. Eli did not think him much of anything, but when he told us it was the boy's plans, his determination, that saved you, your father was more grateful than he could say." Then her aunt went into detail about how Eli had been informed of the rescue mission. "When this man, Vance, told him it was all because of the boy, Eli was left in tears of joy, he told me."

To hear such things about her father was amazing. He had never been overly emotive. He had remained stoic at Tali's funeral, and even moreso at his son's. But to hear he was so emotional…

It did, at least, explain her father's reactions when she had told him all of it. Of, course he had known before that!

"So, is it about the boy?" the question repeated.

"Yes, in many ways," Ziva began to explain.

"He was with you, at the orchard, right?"

"Yes, he was. He came looking for me, wanted me to return to Washington with him," she said.

She could see Aunt Nettie on the other end of the line, taking the information in, nodding in understanding. "You are staying there, then. To be with him." It was a statement.

"Yes, I am," she admitted at last.

"You love him?" she asked softly, quietly.

That brought Ziva to near tears. It was the truth, there was no reason to deny it anymore. "I have been in love with him for…" She bit her lip, trying to stem the tears. "He said once he could not live without me and I have finally stopped fighting and admitted, I cannot live without him."

"Um hum," she sounded out. Ziva was sure that was not the answer her aunt wanted to hear, but she loved Ziva enough to accept it. "He's not Jewish, is he?"

That brought a laugh out of Ziva . Tony had never seemed overly religious to begin with, and neither did his father, but if he was, she didn't think there was any chance of that. The fact was she herself was by no means a strict Jew. "No, I don't think so."

"Eh, is the world we live in. We do not worry about such things. Your father loved Ari's mother and did not concern himself with their differences." Ziva didn't argue that point, somehow doubting the statement's truth, until a memory of her father flashed in her mind. "When you are settled, call me. I will come to see you in your new home and inspect this man. What is his name again?"

"Anthony DiNozzo Junior, Aunt Nettie. Tony for short," she answered.

"Tony! Yes, now I remember. Well, I will have to come and meet him, see which opinion of my brother's was the correct one. You will call me when it is doable?" Ziva agreed readily, making a mental note to prepare Tony for the visit. She would push it off as long as she could, maybe appease Aunt Nettie with a stopover in Israel when she would need to return. Then, before her aunt ended the call, she asked one final question. "Junior, you said? Tell me, is there an Anthony Senior?"

The thought of her aunt and his father meeting both horrified and amused her. Nettie had always fallen for the sauve type, which Senior completely fit. She'd have to warn Tony about any family get-together where the two could meet.

She didn't answer her aunt. "I will call you in a few days. There are a million things I need to do, so that will be keeping me busy." Best not to upset her with Tony's hospitalization or her condition. Nettie would be on the first flight over. They exchanged farewells, promising to call as often as possible.

With that call, she ended, at last, her life in Israel.


	26. Chapter 26

_Again, Tim is in a mindset he really doesn't want to be in…in the middle of Tony and Ziva. But he loves the both of them and as such, he's examining things too much even for his own liking._

 _And we have another visit from Fornell. Because, in all honesty, we can never have enough of them!_

 _Drop a comment, I love to hear from you!_

Tim was not surprised it was looking like it would be an all-nighter. He had dropped Delilah off at his place to pick up her car then headed into the office. Ellie beat him there, sitting on the floor and analysing something on her laptop. When he had asked her what she had, she showed him street camera footage of the house where the shooting had occurred. They played it back several times, trying to see if Lance Corporal Wren had exited at any time.

After about three straight hours of enlarging sections of footage to study every minute detail, they had both heard their names called. "You still have twenty-four hours of leave time that I gave you," Director Leon Vance said, his tone lightly scolding.

He saw Ellie look in his direction as he answered, "Sir, Tony himself asked us to get back to the case. He didn't want everyone at the hospital."

Vance seemed to accept that answer, but then said, "Despite what Agent DiNozzo wants, what I would like is to have this team at it's peak performance." Then the lecture seemed to end. "Go home, get some rest and start back fresh in the morning." Neither moved until Vance's stare got insistent. Ellie said her goodbyes but Tim remained where he was. "I do mean you too, McGee."

Tim was reluctant to follow the order, then began to gather his things, but before he made his way to the elevator, Vance had a question for him. "How's he doing?"

"Well, when we left, he threw everyone out the room. That included Gibbs, Fornell, even his father. I think he and Ziva needed to talk," he replied.

Vance smiled at that. "I'm sure they are. But have they mentioned anything to any of you about what they're going to do?"

Tim shook his head. "No, but maybe that was one of the topics."

Vance seemed to accept that answer and dismissed McGee. But before he got on the elevator, he heard the director say, "And I mean it, Tim. Go home and sleep. It's been a long day for all of us."

For a while at his apartment, he was too wired for sleep. He kept going back to the last twenty-four hours. A lot had happened. Tony being shot, Ziva returning, Ziva being pregnant with Tony's child. It got him wondering. Was Abby right? Had they been breaking that rule the whole time?

He had seen, over the years, how they interacted with each other. It started off with Tony's usual tortures of teasing and Ziva alternating from amusement to irritation. But a turn had come the their relationship with the sting of Rene Benoit. Tony was undercover and dating the arms' dealer's daughter. When Tony was first playing coy about his 'girlfriend', Tim detected a few notes of jealousy from their partner. But, after all that, it had been Ziva who told him to make amends with her.

A year later, the shoe was on the other foot. Now, Tony was definitely jealous of her relationship with her Mossad colleague, Michael Rivkin. In fact, she (and quite frankly Tim himself) thought that had been at the root of his final, fatal fight with the Israeli operative. Tony had gone back to Israel to confront Rivkin's boss and Ziva's father, Mossad Director Eli David. Tim still did not know what the conclusion of the Mossad investigation was, but when the plane landed, only Gibbs, Vance and Tony were on it. Ziva chose to stay in her homeland and rejoin Mossad.

Which led, eventually, to his and Tony's vacation in the Sahara. The lack of communication made Tim concerned, Abby paranoid and Tony...well, he had told Saleem, revenge could make a man lose all of his senses. Which he had. It was a totally different Anthony DiNozzo Junior that evolved over those three months, investigating every angle, to answer where Ziva David was. He was dogged, even after they had received word that the ship she may have been on sunk with all hands off the coast of Somalia.

They had combed through everything they could think of to track the terrorist cell until they hit paydirt. Abby was none too pleased that she had anything in common with a monster like Saleem Ullman, but it was his caffeine addiction that had brought him down. They were almost there, until Vance seemed to yank it away, claiming there was no hard evidence to give the go-ahead for an assault. Tony had been furious, until Gibbs had to practically spell it out for him. He got the drift, eventually, and had quickly volunteered himself and Tim for a scouting mission.

It was not as if Tim wouldn't have been right behind them to go, but it felt like, for the first time in months, the Tony DiNozzo he had come to know and, usually, loathed, was back. He was lording his seniority over McGee the whole time they were out looking for the camp. But then, in a moment of sacrifice, it was Tony who took the brunt of the abuse when confronted with Ullman. It had been a harrowing forty-eight hours, but in the end, they completed their mission.

Ziva was back. And so too, it seemed, were they back to how that had been for that first year. There was some more overt flirting, and an overnight to Paris that Ziva denied to them that anything had happened. Then there were the stopovers with EJ and CIA Rey.

 _Why am I examining Tony and Ziva's love life so much?_ Tim thought. But he knew. They were his best friends, they had a deep bond that nothing seemed able to break. He'd even use the word soulmates, if he got creative enough.

That had been the last thought Tim had that night. He woke up at 0600, a little later than normal, but he was sure Vance wouldn't make it an issue. He got dressed and hurried into the office, only to find Agent Fornell there. Tim threw a glance to Ellie, who just shrugged her shoulders.

Tim decided to break the ice. "Agent Fornell, what brings you here? I'm not sure if Gibbs is in yet, so…"

Fornell wore the same expression Tim saw more often than not on Gibbs' face, a grimace that indicated his level of annoyance, either with the NCIS team or his friend Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "I see Jethro broke our deal."

"Deal?" Tim knew exactly what the other man meant, but tried to play dumb. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"You remember the one, Tim. The deal was that we had forty-eight hours until we had to hand it off to you," the man retorted.

"Oh, that one!" He could tell by the glare he was getting that Fornell appreciated neither his answer or tone. He sagged a little. "Look, it wasn't Gibbs who told us to get working on it early." After a pause, Tim shook his head. "It was Tony."

"Well, DiNozzo's well enough to be giving orders! That's great!" His tone matched Tim's last comment. Then he let out a deep breath, as if to try and calm himself. "I just came up here to inform you that our ME has finished his initial autopsy and the body has been delivered to…" He seemed to have forgotten Ducky's assistant's name. "Palmer! The body has been deliver to Palmer, as have all the notes taken. Additionally, all the forensic evidence taken at the scene has been dropped off at Ms. Sciuto's lab."

Both Tim and Ellie raised their eyebrows at the announcement. "Not to sound ungrateful, but is there a reason you've relinquished custody of all of it?" Bishop asked.

Tobias Fornell looked to the side. He seemed to be fighting to say something he didn't want to admit. Finally he came out with it. "You heard Jethro's warning yesterday. And you know both Abby and Ducky. In all honesty, regarding this case in particular...those two scare me." With that, Fornell turned and left. But before he got on the elevator, he yelled back, "You ever tell Gibbs that, and they'll never find your bodies!"

It was quite extraordinary, really. Tim couldn't remember the last time the FBI parted with anything so easily. He was heading back to his desk to call Gibbs and let him know when Jimmy Palmer came up, looking more confused than all of Ducky's anecdotal tangents combined. "Hey guys, um, the FBI just dropped off the body of Tony's shooter. Is there a reason why they parted with it so freely?"


	27. Chapter 27

_I've noticed we tend to have very little interaction between just Vance and Abby. Usually, there are others with them. But, since Gibbs is elsewhere and Vance has taken point, it would be necessary. And the director has brought the appropriate tribute with him. Just like Gibbs._

Last night, when Abby and Ziva returned to Tony's room after her checkup, Abby was about to follow her in, but Gibbs, standing there with Ducky, stopped her. "Abs, Senior's in there now and I think Ziva's about to crash," he told her.

Abby had noticed it as well while with the doctor, but at the same time, she didn't want to leave either Tony or Ziva at the hospital by themselves. Then, Tony's father came out of the room, looking tired himself. He informed them he was going to get a hotel room nearby and return in the morning. After he left, Jethro looked at Abby again. "You should go too."

"No! I have to stay here! What if they need something or wake up and are lonely?" came a slightly panicky answer.

"I'll stay here with them," he promised, his beseeching look staring back at her.

"My dear, Jethro is right. You've been up well over twenty-four hours, I'm sure and you are probably near collapse yourself," Ducky gently added. "I'll take you back to get your car and then, you should go home and get some sleep."

"Besides, you heard DiNozzo. He wants us back on the case and the clock is ticking on the FBI's time with it. The best thing you can do for Tony is go into your lab and get working on the evidence you'll be getting soon." Gibbs said.

She turned a half-step away and then looked back at him. "You swear you'll stay with them." It was a demand, one that Gibbs nodded to her. With great reluctance, she left with Ducky.

He dropped her off at the Navy Yard and she popped into her lab to get her things. She had seen Tim's and Ellie's cars in the lot, but decided not to got up and see them, admitting to herself she was exhausted. Then she shut off her machines as she considered what Gibbs had said to her. He was right, as always and she vowed to go in in the morning and get cracking as soon as she could, possibly even hacking into the FBI to get a look at their test results if necessary.

When she returned at to her labs at 0700 sharp, she found an officious looking man waiting for her there. Without a smile on his face he asked her, "Are you Abigail Sciuto?"

Abby narrowed her eyes. "Who are you and what are you doing in my lab without me here?" She hated it when people were in there without her.

"I'm from the FBI's forensic team," the man began, but that was all Abby needed to hear.

"Get out right now! You can't have anything here!" she yelled at him. When the man flinched a bit, she went for more. "It's not right that the FBI has to investigate Tony's shooting. You guys have a really terrible track record and I wouldn't trust you with looking for a child's lost toy even. Gibbs may have given you forty-eight hours, but you...you shouldn't have even had those…" Then she saw one of her table stacked with file boxes. She looked at the man again and saw a clipboard in his hands. "Why are you here?"

She'd been so loud that the man looked scared. After a minute, he handed her the clipboard. "Agent Fornell has ordered the handover of evidence earlier than originally planned. I just need you to sign for the chain of custody."

Her eyes bugged as she grabbed it from him. "Why didn't you say something before I got into my rant?" She scribbled her signature and shoved it back at the man. "Now, scram. I've got work to do!"

Abby didn't need to say anything more. The man vanished like vapors, leaving her with a lot of work to do. She turned around the room, eyeing up all of her equipment. "Okay boys, we have an important task. We need to inspect every millimeter, every particle, every last little thing here. We need to find out who this guy was and why he was in that house and why he'd shoot Tony! I want the very best your little circuits can give me! Do I make myself clear?" she announced to the silent room. She took at as a chorus of affirmatives. "Then let's get to work."

An unknown number of hours passed until she heard footsteps behind her. That made her mad. She had just gotten results on the ballistics test, which meant, of course, that Gibbs was showing up for some answers. But he had promised her to stay at the hospital in Baltimore. It seemed he broke his promise. "You swore to me Gibbs! You swore you'd stay…" she growled as she turned towards the door.

However, it wasn't Gibbs. It wasn't even Tim or Ellie. Standing near the entrance to the lab was Director Vance with a CafPow in his hand. "Uh, Director, um, hi." she said meekly. "I thought you were someone else because I got results back on the bullets and Gibbs has this habit of showing up when I get results and…"

Vance usually seemed to have a scowl permanently etched on his face. Today was little different for a minute until his face softened at last and he handed her the drink. "I've heard of that sixth sense. Seems it's true," he replied.

"Oh, it's scary how true it is! It's like my babies are telepathically communicating with El Jefe! I remember a time…" The scowl returned, stopping Abby short. "But, there's time enough later to tell you that."

"And those tests show…" he prompted her.

"Well, the bullets that struck…" She had a hard time finishing that sentence, something Vance realized and nodded encouragingly to her. "The bullets match exactly the ones that killed the sergeant."

"So it's the same gun," he concluded.

"Yes, and the fingerprints I pulled also match the lance corporal's, making you correct, oh great...Director," she eked out. When he gave her an amused smile, she continued. "Now, that was the good news. The bad news is, I can't find any fingerprints other than Wren's on the gun, which is weird because as you can see from the crime scene photos the JV's took, our bad guy is not wearing any gloves." Abby pulled up pictures of a body with numerous bullet holes in it, limp in a corner of a room.

"Have you been able to identify anything else about our shooter?"

"No, but since I have the forensic evidence, I can assume Palmer has the body?" she asked.

"Ducky was in at 0800 to start our autopsy," Vance informed her. "Good work, Ms Sciuto." Then he turned to leave.

"Ah, Director?" He turned back at the sound of his name. "Have you heard anything more from the hospital, Ziva, Gibbs?"

"I was going to make a stop in autopsy to see if Dr. Mallard has anything yet, then I was going to check in with McGee and Bishop. If I have any news, I'll come give it to you personally."

"Thank you, Director," she replied. As he turned away again, she called out, "Is there a reason why we got all this stuff so early? I mean, generally we have to tear stuff from the cold, dead hands of the FBI. Why'd they give it up so fast?"

Vance's smile grew, that 'gotcha!' look he seemed to rarely have on. He turned back to the elevator, but as he left, he called back, "Because Gibbs threatened Fornell with siccing you and Ducky on them, and he heeded the warning!"

She heard the elevator ding and the doors close. Then she reached for her farting hippo and squeezed him, a smile on her face. At last, she turned back to her monitor, searching for more answers.


	28. Chapter 28

_From this chapter may spring a ficlet down the road. After I've finished the main story. Just to let you know._

 _Gibbs and his coffee..just because. And his gut is working into overdrive._

 _Reviews...cause we do like to know what you think!_

It was the smell of coffee that woke Gibbs up. His team knew he needed at least two cups before getting to the office and, when he disappeared during the course of a day, he was getting a refill. He had no problem being predictable on that score.

So it was no surprise that, when he opened his eyes, Ziva was standing in front of the chair he'd fallen asleep in with a cup almost directly under his nose. It was a pleasant smell, at least. "Time?" he asked her, accepting her offer and taking a swig of it.

"0800. I let you sleep, as I thought you'd had about as much as I this past day or so," she replied. Then she looked over his shoulder at DiNozzo. He was sound asleep on the bed, which was when he led her out into the hallway.

"How long have you been up?"

She smiled. "Since 0300. But I had eight straight hours, which does make me feel more restful. I also took advantage of the hour and made some calls back to Israel."

Gibbs gave her that piercing stare. "So, you've made some decisions."

She nodded. "Yes. Tony and I talked a great deal last night. There is really nothing left for me in Israel. I have a few aunts, but, in truth, it has not felt like home for a long time. I thought if I could go back, it would. But…" She sighed deeply. "I spoke to my family's attorney and he is making the necessary legal arrangements for most of the properties I inherited from Eli." Gibbs noted that she called her father by name. "I also spoke with my Aunt Nettie, his elder sister."

"And?" he prompted.

"She guessed the reason why I am staying in DC."

"You told her you were pregnant?"

Ziva shook her head. "No, not that. But she had heard of Tony and guessed that I was getting together with him. I will tell her at some point, but not right now. I don't think we need any more family, however caring, coming here." Then she smiled. "And I do not think either Tony or I would want to handle Senior and my aunt at the same time, until we are both completely healthy."

"You'll have to at some point," he reminded her.

"Yes, but we can prepare for that meeting. And both be able to drink alcohol," she said with a laugh.

Gibbs could only imagine what this Aunt Nettie was like. If she was anything like Tony's father, he thought it may be a good idea to have his spare room available. He figured someone would be knocking at his door at a ridiculous hour of the night.

But then he looked her over. Ziva seemed more relaxed than she had been in a long time, though there was still an underlying current of tension about her. It had all begun with her father's visit the previous year, her life ping-ponging from one trauma to another. Now, with the shock of a pregnancy coupled with DiNozzo's shooting and it could have gone downhill even faster. "You and DiNozzo talked?"

Again, a nod. "At least as far as me staying in DC. He will be a part of our child's life and we will raise her together."

That made his eyebrow shoot up. "Her? Abby said you didn't want to know yet."

She sucked in a breath. "It is just...a feeling I have had since I found out."

Gibbs smiled at that. "Yeah, I think Leon's laying odds on it. Karma, eh?'

She chuckled again. "I think I'll sit with him again." As Ziva walked past him, she kissed him gently on the cheek. "Are you coming?"

"Nah, I'll leave the two of you alone for a little while, check in with the office. Just, don't tell Abby." Then he walked down the hallway and eventually, out of the hospital. Finding a lunchette, he went in and ordered some breakfast. While he waited, Gibbs called into the office.

"McGee," the younger field agent answered.

"You got anything to report?" he asked.

"Hey, boss. Well, when I came in today, Agent Fornell was waiting for me," he began. "I guess he took your warning to heart and decided to turn everything over to us early. Ducky's been checking over the autopsy the FBI performed and he should have something for us soon. Abby's been holed up in her lab. She was none too pleased to find an agent in her lab when she came in and then, after realizing why he was there, scared him off. Vance has been checking in with us to see if we've learned anything, but it's a lot to sift through."

"Have you learned anything?"

Now he heard the phone go to speaker and Bishop joined the conversation. "We still don't have an identity on the shooter. Our guys noted at the crime scene that he seemed to have had his fingerprints burned off."

That sounded strange for what was simply case of drugs and murder. "Has facial recognition come up with anything?"

"We found him on the streetcam footage given by the Baltimore police, but it's very dark. It's taking the programs longer than usual to clean it up enough to do a search," McGee added. "We were able to spot Wren entering the house too, but there's nothing of him leaving, before or after the shooting. And there was no one else in the house."

Something in Gibbs's gut told him there was a lot more to this. "Where is Wren from again?"

It was Ellie's turn to answer. "Um, says he's from Havre de Grace, Maryland. It's within an hour of Baltimore." Then it sounded as if she was not speaking directly to the phone. "Wasn't Tony a cop in Baltimore?"

"Yeah he was leaving BPD Homicide when he joined NCIS. See if there's any contacts our lance corporal still has there," Gibbs ordered. "And if you do find anything, see if they could have any connection to Tony." Then he thought of one more thing. "Also, look into the cop, ah, McMann, who contacted DiNozzo yesterday." Gibbs thought there was something fishy about the cop calling Tony specifically. Now, his gut was telling him there was, in fact, something there.

"Sure thing, Boss," Ellie responded. "Also, how is Tony doing?"

"He's awake and a little more with it. Ziva's with him now."

"And Ziva?" Tim asked. Gibbs knew that she was the real question everyone wanted an answer to.

"Patch me through to Vance," he ordered, ignoring the question. Within a minute, Vance was on the other end of the line.

"How's everything going on up there?" he asked.

"Ziva's rested, Tony's doing better," he said, before adding. "They talked."

"And have either one divulged what they talked about?" Gibbs knew that was the main thing Leon was thinking about.

"She's staying in DC and they seem to be trying to work it out. Ziva mentioned that she's wrapping up her affairs in Israel and she's told at least an aunt about her plans," Gibbs informed him.

"That's good to know. Should be fun to watch the two of them," he replied and Gibbs could almost see the smirk on his face. "It also helps to know that so I can go ahead and explore something I thought of. I'll let you in on it when I have some more information. Alright then keep me informed."

Gibbs nodded at that. "Will do," and he ended the call.

As Gibbs ate, two things were playing in his brain. One was whatever the director was working on. He had an idea Leon was planning something for Ziva, but what, he wasn't sure. She didn't seem to be jumping into coming back to the team, but he knew she had great value to the agency.

The other thing that he was thinking of was the little information the team had learned so far. It seemed extreme for simple drugs. Gibbs knew Tony, knew his bad habit of pissing people off. Was it something from his past that was gunning for him, almost literally? How did Wren tie into it? Or, was there more to all this than a simple line of fire shooting?

Gibbs sighed. He needed more coffee.


	29. Chapter 29

_There's a lot playing on Vance's mind through all of this and I wanted to look at it more. And, it also gave me an opportunity to explore his relationship with Eli David, who I soften up a bit._

 _There's a little more here to Leon's plan. He's going to have to get clearance, but I can't see anyone objecting to the idea of keeping a valuable asset around._

 _As, even though I don't really watch any of the other NCIS spinoffs, I had to throw Hetty in here, just cause she is that awesome!_

 _All reviews are welcome_

It had been a long few days for Leon Vance. You never wanted your people injured under your watch, even if it was an occupational hazard. And for him, it always had ramifications that were personal.

When he had arrived at the hospital, he got a sense of deja vu that he never wanted to experience again. Seeing Gibbs, McGee, Dr. Mallard and Abby waiting for word on DiNozzo reminded him too much of coming out after…

He'd been seeing a therapist to help him cope with what happened to Jackie. Quietly, Dr. Cranston had been helping him, and his children, through the pain and anguish of the loss. He had turned to her because she herself was familiar with the pain of losing a loved one. She had to face the same feelings he was experiencing, so she seemed to be a natural choice.

When he got into the office the morning after it had happened, she was his first call. After going through what the situation, she had gone to the hospital immediately. Part initial assessment, part checking in on her late sister's partner and team, she reported back that she would gladly be available to them for whatever they needed.

Leon had asked her to pay special attention to Ziva David.

He knew it may be uncomfortable. A woman whose sister was killed by the other woman's brother, Rachel none the less had borne no ill to Ziva. They were both siblings in pain from lose, Leon remembered. With the added burden on Ziva being that she had fired the bullet that had ended her brother's life.

Leon had known Eli for many years and remembered a conversation the two men had after Ari's reign of terror had ended at last. He had sworn to Vance he never meant for Ari to have gone as far as he did. His son had seemed to welcome his duty to Mossad. It had shocked Eli when Ziva had reported back to him, privately, that the younger man had blamed him for the death of his mother and from that had festered the wound that ended up consuming him.

Leon remembered seeing Ziva at the hospital as they awaited word on DiNozzo. He had not seen her in the aftermath of the shooting at his house and in the months following, she had withdrawn from him further, until the night she, McGee and DiNozzo handed in their badges. She decided to return to Israel, where, away from the protection of NCIS, she was attacked by a group of terrorists. That had made her withdraw even further. It looked like she was desperately trying to hide from the world, with the amount of effort Tony had put into tracking her down.

When he had returned, it was without her. Vance, and Gibbs, had their doubts when he told them he'd been unsuccessful in finding her. Those were confirmed when Orli Elbaz informed him that she had located Ziva, mainly by tracking the NCIS agent, and she was safe. That had been four months ago, and still then, the younger woman chose to remain incommunicado.

When he had seen her at last, he readily realized why she had returned. It delighted him to no end for many reasons. Ziva had little family left, and even less after she cut off contact with NCIS. A child, he felt at least, could snap her out of her depression, out of the rut he had seen her in since her father's death. She had become, under the tutelage of Jethro Gibbs, a keen investigator, and Leon hoped she return to the job she had excelled at in recent years, at least in some capacity.

Mostly, though, he couldn't wait to see Tony DiNozzo as a father.

As his day went on, he had gotten constant updates on the case from Abby and McGee and on DiNozzo's condition from Gibbs. He had given the team time off, out of concern for their partner, but they had taken maybe half of it because Tony insisted. Gibbs had stayed behind and been point man up in Baltimore, which Leon took advantage of.

As the Director of NCIS, he had little time to be active in the field. But without Gibbs there, he decided to work a little more with the investigation. Besides the usual mundanity of his everyday tasks, he checked in with McGee and Bishop as they did their thing and kept Abby well-lubricated with her caffeine while she combed over her evidence. At the same time, he decided to throw his weight around a little more in cutting through the red tape in order to speed things along.

With the proper wheels greased to assist his agents, he remembered he had a conference call in MTAC with other NCIS station chiefs. There were a lot of briefings and updates which he wanted to get through to turn his attention back to the DiNozzo shooting and he began signing off with most of them.

The last one was the the LA office. Hetty Lange, in charge there, had, of course, heard about the shooting. "Is he recovering?" she asked him.

"It'll be a long road, but the doctors seem confident," Leon told her.

"Well, if you see that charming man, tell him to get his ass together." It was very typically Hettie.

"Will do, Ma'am." There were very few people who Vance ma'amed, but she was one of them. When he returned to his office, he found the other one waiting for him there.

"Do you have an update on Agent DiNozzo?" Secretary of the Navy Sarah Porter questioned him.

She was a woman who was always direct, so he returned the courtesy. "The doctors' are optimistic, from what Gibbs tells me. He's awake and alert, and I figure, nearly back to his old self," he replied.

She nodded at that. "And Agent David?"

He let out a small sigh. Obviously, the gossip had gotten through the grapevine and reached the top. "Technically, she no longer is that. She resigned in the wake of Parson's investigation and went back to Israel. It seemed for a while there she had no intention of returning."

Porter raised an eyebrow, letting him know she knew. "And now?"

"Well, she's staying, from what I hear. Beyond that, your guess is as good as mine," he said. "And there seems to be other things that have developed."

"Yes, I heard," she agreed. She pulled a memo out of her briefcase. "I read your proposal. Do you think this is something she's qualified to do?"

"Madame Secretary, in the five years I worked with her, she became a damn good agent. And with her contacts, I think she would be an asset to this agency, should she accept. If you knew her as well as I do, you'd know she not one to sit around twiddling her thumbs."

"But will she accept?"

He didn't want to voice his doubts, but he knew there had to still be emotional scars she was suffering from, and nothing, not even the promise of a new life, could paper over those scars. "Ma'am, I wish I could give you an answer. But there's a lot between then and now. I'm taking the philosophy of wait and see. Right now, my main concern is Agent DiNozzo's recovery. I have been told that if he stays stable, they'll be performing an additional surgery later today. That's a far as I'm thinking."

The woman nodded. "Fair enough. Please, keep me apprised of it. And contact my secretary. I want to have flowers sent to him."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, Agent DiNozzo isn't exactly the flower type. He is, however, a movie connoisseur," he suggested.

"Really? What is his genre?"

Leon laughed. "From what I hear, anything really. Check in with Agent McGee. He's been to DiNozzo's place and should have an idea of what the man doesn't have."

"I'll do that. Thank you, Leon," she said, extending her hand. He took it and they shook, before she stepped out of his office.

Leon sat back down and looked at the clock. It had been a while since he had checked in with anyone and decided to stretch his legs. He wanted updates, so he began the circuit to get them, starting with picking up a CafPow.


	30. Chapter 30

_One thing I always love about Ducky is how he gets into a fit if things are screwed up. And I think he'd have those feelings now._

 _I know I haven't had any focus on Jimmy in this story, but he's the one who has had the least interaction with Tony, to some degree. But the Palmers will both be seen more in the future and I did want to address their sadness about the failed adoption but happiness nonetheless for Tony and Ziva. And yes, Breena's pregnancy will be brought up. I'm not leaving little Miss Victoria Elizabeth Palmer out._

 _Also, please note, I'm no medical expert. I just try to remember what I watch on shows like this for setting the scenes and dialog. If I get anything really wrong, please drop me a comment. Those corrections would be greatly appreciated_

As Ducky completed his autopsy on Anthony's shooter, he made a vow to himself to never let the FBI's pathologist touch a body involved in one of his cases again. They invariably screwed it up.

The report was incomplete, the stitching on the body was sloppy and, when he called to complain, the person he spoke to gave him an attitude. None of these things made Ducky happy.

"It is inconceivable that the FBI and their resources are considered cream of the crop around the world!" he thundered as he read over the report. "This makes no mention of the tattoos this man has, even though from the crudeness, the are certainly prison made. They have half the measurements incorrect. And the way the report is written, who did it, a first year university student!"

Jimmy Palmer looked over the body, his own displeasure evident. "I can't even figure out how they did even did this," the younger man said in confusion, as he looked over the body and indicating to the incisions. They were a mangled mess, one that his assistant knew, if he had done, would have gotten him shown the door.

Actually, Jimmy was complaining as much about everything as Ducky, which was unusual for him. He was normally so jovial, bordering on annoying, but since he and Breena had lost the baby they were going to adopt, a change had come over him. And when Ducky had come in that morning, Mr. Palmer had confided in him his shock about Ziva David's pregnancy. Ducky understood the feeling, and asked how his wife was fairing. It seemed, however, that Breena was coping with it better than her husband. She was still optimistic about the prospects of being parents.

Ducky and Jimmy were in agreement, though, that it was happy news for the parents-to-be. Palmer had told him Breena was already making plans for a celebration when the time was better.

At that point, Director Vance came into the room. "Do you have anything new to report, Dr. Mallard?" he asked.

"Only that I feel the FBI should fire any of the medical examiners they have currently working for them. I have seen better jobs done in Third World countries!" Then he turned and saw the man's face. He could tell that was not what he had come down to learn. He sighed, trying to calm himself down. "Mr. Palmer has sent some pictures up to Abby of our young man's tattoos. Some are probably from time in prison, while others, I suspect, are gang symbols. He was also probably already headed to an early grave, which Jethro spared him, by the look of his liver."

"Toxicology hasn't come back yet, but there are signs of heroin use, by the look of the puncture marks on his arm," Palmer added.

"Sadly, the only thing I can tell you for sure is cause of death." Ducky pointed to a bullet hole over his heart. "Gibbs hit the target, dead on. He bled out very quickly."

"Marine sniper," Vance reminded him, that half smile of his plastered on his face.

"Indeed," the doctor nodded in agreement. "Speaking of him, has he called back? Is there any update on Anthony's condition?"

"I spoke to Gibbs earlier this morning. He seems to have slept through the night, as did David." This time, a genuine smile appeared. "She and Gibbs talked and she did confirm that she was planning on staying in the States. She's even begun proceeding for the dissolution of properties owned in Israel, which, knowing Eli, are probably extensive."

"Well, that's good news at least. I didn't thinks she would leave us again, especially in light of recent events," Ducky replied.

That seemed to give Vance a thought. He signaled Ducky over for a private talk. "Doctor, what's your assessment of her since she's been back, taking out the shooting factor?"

Ducky raised his eyebrows at the question. It felt as if Vance was asking him in professional terms, rather than on a personal level. "She still seems haunted by what has happened to her these past few months, still seems to think that she must make penance for some wrongs. But, when Miss Bishop and I took her out yesterday morning, after a while, she relaxed a great deal. In the beginning however…"

"What?" was the lone word said.

"When Ellie came to the hospital, she brought with her Ziva's Star of David necklace with her, explaining that Tony had it in his desk. It was, as you know Director, something she wore proudly all the years she was with us. But when Ellie tried to return it, Ziva seemed reluctant to accept it back. She told us she left it when Tony was looking for her, as a sign that she was alright, but what it represented, home, family, religion, had become meaningless to her."

Vance nodded. "Eli was always very proud of his heritage. It was something he tried to pass on to his children...all of his children."

"She did take it, after a while. I think she also saw it as a message that Tony understood, when she left it," Ducky added. "They did grow to understand each other better than any of us." Then he smiled. "Then, she told Eleanor about their first meeting, the amusing circumstance they took place under."

He didn't want to elaborate on them, but knowing Tony, Vance seemed to figure out that they may have been rather adult. "I can only guess," he confirmed.

"Well, after the explanation, Miss Bishop said that she had briefly met Dr. Cranston, who had made comment on the two previous occupants of that desk. Eleanor put the pieces together," Mallard replied. "By the way, speaking of dear Rachel, I must say, she got up to Baltimore rather quickly."

"Professional courtesy. Plus, being with the team gives her an opportunity to be closer to Agent Todd." Yes, that was what Ducky had thought.

"We ended breakfast with an amusing series of stories about the exploits of NCIS Agent Anthony DiNozzo, from _Monsieur et Madame Rainier_ to Tony DiNozzo, Dog Groomer," Ducky said, unable to contain his amusement.

Again, Vance smiled. "Thank you, Doctor. I also wanted to inform you that until Agent Gibbs returns, I'll be running point on this case. Anything new you have, contact me."

"Of course, Director," he said. "And, is it with you that I should file my formal complaint about the FBI's competency on post-mortems?" Ducky asked to the director's back. But the man did not answer.

Ducky turned to his latest guest, speaking to him as he spoke to most bodies that passed by him. "Would you take that as a yes or a no?"


	31. Chapter 31

_'_ _ve said one of my favorite episodes of NCIS was "Truth or Consequence" and my favorite scene in that episode is when they are together, her asking him why he came for her. "Couldn't live without you, I guess." That perfectly sums up his feelings for her, as they were echoed even more after she stayed in Israel._

 __ _Please, again, I love to hear from you so drop me a comment._

Tony had been awake for a few hours and for most of that time, he'd been poked and prodded far too much for his liking. The doctors had assured him they'd be making decisions soon, wanting to be certain Tony was stable. Gibbs had been in and out, probably checking back with DC, and Abby had called three times to both check on him and make sure Gibbs was holding up his end of some deal they had made. Tony didn't ask too many questions about that. The answers rarely made sense to anyone, except Abby. Senior hadn't been in yet either, and that had Tony a little worried, but he figured his father needed a break. This much closeness for him, well for both of them really, was unusual.

At least he had the constant company of Ziva with him. He took great relief in the fact she looked a lot better than she had for most of the previous day. Not that he blamed her; it had been long for both of them. But she swore she had gotten eight straight hours of sleep, however uncomfortable they were. She'd also informed him she had begun to clean up her business in Israel. The lawyer would make the proper arrangements and it would be done.

"I'm not in that much of a rush. You are what is more important to me," she told him. Then she hesitated. "You are still sure you want to do this? I never...I never wanted to disrupt your life. And it does bring me joy to see you live it as you do."

She was about to continue when he shushed her. "Ziva, how many times, how many ways do I need to say it?" Then he took a deep breath. "To be honest, you interrupted my life the minute you came into it." She looked nervous so he continued. "Remember, you spoiled a really good fantasy."

"Oh, not that!" she said, the humor reaching her eyes. "Only you would fantasize about a dead colleague!"

"Kate was a good-looking woman. And she had the sweet, angelic Catholic schoolgirl thing going on for her." Then he smiled. "With a dash of Marilyn Monroe, circa 'The Seven Year Itch.'"

"Maybe I should rethink this idea of raising a child together," she threatened harmlessly.

"Ziva, you've known me for how long? You know this is just part of my charm." Then he grew quiet. "I just remembered something from back then."

"What?" She seemed weary of the answer.

"Well, Gibbs ordered me to tail you," he began. When her mouth dropped open in a mock 'No!', he continued. "It's true! Anyway, the order was, if I remember correctly," he twisted his face the way he usually did when he was doing one of his impression, "'Stick to her ass.'" Then he side-eyed her conspiratorially, "And you know what I said to him?"

"Do I want to know?"

Tony paused. It was a fair question, in light of how their relationship had developed. But he decided to tell her. "I said you weren't my type." It came out kind of sheepishly, since, looking back at it, he'd been wrong.

Any worry for her reaction was gone instantly. "I told my father about you, about your...peculiarities. Early on, of course. He did not think it was a bad idea for me to get...closer to you. Use your charm as my doorway in. He thought you were the weak chain of the team."

Tony was so tempted to correct her, but stifled the urge. That made him think about what she said. "Well, I don't really find that all that surprising. I mean, I did have a reputation to maintain and I'm sure it was in some dossier Mossad compiled."

"Well, he did think that was just what I was doing and perhaps too well," she told him. "Mossad thought we were sleeping together a year later." That made him narrow his eyes. "When I was accused of the bombing that killed the Syrian informant and his FBI protection, I sought refuge at the Israeli Embassy. The Mossad station chief there showed me photos they took of you at my place."

"You did correct them, right?"

"Of course I corrected them. But it seems the assumption has been around much longer than Paris." Then she looked at him, with the skittish glance she had been using far too much lately. "When was it...when was it that you thought...there was something between us?"

Tony knew that answer immediately. "When we were told the Damocles went down." He stopped there, trying to halt the emotions that were bubbling in him from surfacing. "I thought I lost you. There was nothing I thought I could do, so I wanted to avenge you." She looked deep into his eyes, a pleading look that made him continue. "Life seemed to go on, but the days, they bled one into the other. This case, that case...it didn't seem to matter."

"And then, one day, he said no." Tony and Ziva both turned to see Gibbs standing in the doorway in the usual stealthy way he had, coffee cup included. "We had a case and he said no, that we had other priorities to take care of."

Ziva looked back at him. It was never something they had talked about. Although he knew she had received counselling after the ordeal in Somalia, he still had difficulties from it. There had been a good deal of his typical bravado, and she was right, he was not shocked when she was sat in front of him. But there had been a tiny spark that doubted the possibility she was alive. There was the heart of it.

When he didn't answer her gaze, the boss stepped in. "He, Abby and McGee had been working for months, gathering intel on ships headed to that part of the world. It was a lot of data to comb through, but in the end they found it."

"It was the one thing every ship had on it, something that Ulman couldn't live without," Tony said, his eyes dancing with joy. It got him to stop thinking of how he was back then, what he was fearing could be true. "He went down in history as the only terrorist brought down...by CafPow."

He could see Ziva processing it. It didn't look like she was believing their tale. "You said you could not live without me…" Her voice was faint, as emotional as his. "I thought it was just the truth serum...acting on you…"

"Even if I hadn't been shot up, that would have been the answer."

"Believe me, Ziva, he was a mess when you left then, and again last year. Could barely get any more work than normal out of him," Gibbs said nonchalantly.

It took only another second, and then their lips met. From his peripheral, he saw Jethro trying to look anywhere else but at them. But he didn't care. He knew the boss knew how much he loved this woman, and how much she loved him.

As if to affirm that belief, the next words out of Ziva's mouth were, "I love you." Tony blinked. That was the first time she ever said those words, in that order, to him.

Tony wanted to reply in some cheeky way, quote some great romantic movie scene, but the truth was, in that moment, he was unable to. His mind turn to goo, everything slipping through until there was just one thing to say. "I love you too."

Unfortunately, the moment was kind of ruined when a doctor came in. "Mr. DiNozzo?" When Tony nodded, the woman introduced herself. "I'm Dr. Kamala O'Hare. I'll be operating on you so we can get that bullet out of your back."

Tony's smile took up his entire face. "Oh, thank God! I am sick of being stuck in this bed. I've never been good about sitting still, always gotta be moving around. And I'm bored. I want to go back to work and catch the bastard who did to me."

"He's already been taken care of, DiNozzo. But remind me for later on, I've got some questions for you about the case," Gibbs said.

"Well, I can't promise you being back at work anytime soon. You're going to need a good deal of rehab. But we can see what we can do about getting out of bed," the doctor replied. "We've scheduled the surgery for 7pm this evening, so we'll get you prepped somewhere around six." She checked a few more things and then left.

Gibbs stepped out of the room, probably to call and let the others know what was happening. With him out, Tony turned to Ziva. "Well, this was a big day. You holding up okay?" She nodded, tears springing from her eyes. "I mean, I get that it's emotional and all, but I don't want you crying."

The Ziva he knew and loved, _yes loved,_ was back. "It just pregnancy hormones. And yes, I am fine, because I know all three of us will be fine."

When she smiled at him, it was then that he noticed something he hadn't realized he missed. "Is that your…Wasn't that in my desk, or is it another one?"

She touched the delicate golden star dangling from her neck. "No, it's the one from your desk," she explained. "Ellie...she found in there and when she came yesterday, brought it with her. When we had breakfast with Ducky, she gave it back to me."

"She went into my desk?"

Ziva rolled her eyes at him, as if she was frustrated by him, which, truth be told, she usually was. "You have no room to talk. Remember your own lack of a concept for personal space."

She was right. "You have a point," he admitted. Then he took the charm in his fingers. "Actually, I'm glad she did. It should never have been off your neck in the first place."


	32. Chapter 32

_I have come to like Ellie and I did like the limited amount of time we saw Jake. And I hate that they went with the cheating thing to break them up. I can understand it has to be tough on a couple who met at and remained working at the same place, then one ups and leaves. But I would like to have explored them a little bit more. So, as for my story, no cheating husband. In fact, I could see them becoming friends with Tony and Ziva. Okay, maybe trying to hang out._

Ellie was at her desk, staring at her computer with her earbuds in, which meant that generally, she couldn't hear a thing around her. It was part of her process, white noise as a background to help her concentrate. The office was buzzing around her, but she was barely aware of it. Until she heard a loud 'whoopie'.

That brought her attention to Tim McGee's desk. She wasn't sure she had heard correctly, so she unhooked herself and called to him. "Did you just say, 'Whoopie!'?"

Her partner turned to her, his face full of joy. "I think I'm starting to get this image cleaned up enough for Abby to have facial recognition work on it," he explained.

That was good news. For some reason, the images they pulled from the Baltimore street cameras were so unclear, none of the programs they had were able to get them to a point where identification was able to be done. If Ellie was a more paranoid person, she'd think it was deliberate. "That's great! At last, we have a break we can report."

"Yeah, it's something. Abby's still gotta do her thing with it, but at least her boys can get to work," Tim replied.

"Did I just hear my name called?" Abby asked. She had just magically appeared in the bullpen, followed shortly by Dr. Mallard and Jimmy Palmer.

"Abs, I think I got it! Facial recognition might be able to ID Tony's shooter…" Then it seemed to hit McGee. "Wait, why are you here?"

"I called them up," Director Vance called from the steps leading to the second level. As he made his way down, a pit formed in Ellie's stomach. It had to be news on Tony. When their boss finally joined them, he said, "Gibbs called me a few minutes ago and-"

"What? What's happened? Is it something bad? No! Don't tell me if it's bad news!" Abby, again, getting all skittish. Ellie understood the deep, abiding friendship that she had with Tony, but at times, Ellie worried for the Goth, as she was almost too sensitive to deal with the worst aspects of the job.

The younger woman looked back to Vance, who seemed to be patiently waiting for Abby to calm down, a process that did seem to shorten when she caught the look she was getting. Abby took a deep breath, allowing Vance to continue. "Yes, Gibbs called me and he informed me that they will be doing the surgery on Tony this evening, unless there are any further complications."

The entire team, tense from the minute Vance hit the floor, all relaxed, some like Tim, Abby and Jimmy cheering. It was nice to have more good news. Then, Ducky piped in with a question. "Anthony's been improving then?"

"Yes,and Gibbs also told me that, at the very least, Ziva will be staying the US." That was good news indeed, at least for the rest of them. It did make Ellie a little uncomfortable, though. She had just begun her probationary period with the agency, and now it looked like, with Ziva staying, she would also most likely be rejoining NCIS and Team Gibbs.

They all talked a little more, with Vance telling them that if they wanted to, they could leave early and be at the hospital for Gibbs and Ziva as they waited for the surgery to be completed. Ducky asked if he could head up now, since he had completed his autopsy and needed to get out after a frustrating day of working with it, which Vance allowed. Abby and Tim ran down to her lab to begin looking for a match to the dead shooter.

That left Ellie alone. The director was about to return to his office when he noticed her walk back to her desk. "Something the matter, Bishop?"

"What? No, it's good to hear Tony'll be on the mend and that Ziva's staying," she replied, trying to cover her emotions.

"But you're now feeling like the fifth wheel?"

She tried to deny it, but her face gave her away. "I mean, don't get me wrong, sir, I'm happy for all of them that Ziva's decided to stay. I mean, I know they were all hurt when she left, especially Tony. But, well, maybe…"

Vance looked around, then beckoned her to the corner away from the main area, behind the staircase. "I'm telling you this in strictest confidence, do I make myself clear?" She nodded, and he continued. "I don't believe Ziva David is going to want to come back here in the same capacity she was in before. There are other thing to consider." Ellie understood what he meant, that she was expecting a baby. "But I also know Ziva. She not going to be able to sit still even after the baby is born." Then he let her in on what he was planning.

Ellie was a little surprised. His plan, while making sense, was ironic considering who she was and who Ziva David was. But he assured her she would still have a place here, no matter what Ziva decided.

With a slight smile, she returned to her desk and tried to get back to work, but she was struggling. She looked at the clock and decided she needed some fresh air. Ellie called down to Abby's lab to let Tim know she was stepping out for a little bit, then called Jake. "You want to meet me for a cup of coffee?"

Fifteen minutes later, she saw him at the coffee shop they stopped at every morning. He had already ordered her her favorite mocha cappuccino, which she took from him as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"So, are you going to tell me what's the matter?" It was unusual for them to meet up during the day. Heck, over the last few months, they barely saw each other at night, a complete turnaround from the days they worked together at the NSA.

"We got a call that they're going to be doing the second surgery on Tony tonight," she told him.

Jake nodded and she could tell he was trying to be understanding. But the truth was, since the shooting, except when he had stopped by NCIS to drop off a change of clothes for her, she hadn't even seen him. "That's good news," he finally came out with. "I can assume you're going to want to be there with everyone else."

Sadly, that was exactly what she wanted and as he said it, she felt guilty. He was her husband, she loved him to death, and she just...wanted to be there for her co-workers. Since joining NCIS, she'd come to love Tony like the fourth big brother she didn't have. He was important in her life, along with Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky and Palmer. They had become another family to her and it was beginning to be at the expense of the one she was creating with Jake.

He noticed how long it was taking her to answer him. "Hey, it's alright. I understand," he assured her, even though it did anything but.

Then she got a thought. Yes, she wanted to be in Baltimore, close to her co-workers and supporting a friend, but it didn't mean she had to be at the hospital exactly. Tony had already thrown them all out once and he would probably do so again if he heard there'd be another overnight with everyone. And Baltimore was a city that she didn't get to enough. It would be nice to have an overnight trip with her husband, while still being there for everyone else. "Hey, do you know any really good restaurants in Baltimore?" A smile played on her lips that Jake always called 'the first sign of trouble.'

"How good?"

She paused before she began. "Well, you're right, I do want to be there for Tony. But, thinking about it now, Ziva's been there since we got word, and Gibbs even longer. Abby'll be hovering around with her nervous energy running amok, I'm sure, which means Tim and probably Delilah will be trying to contain her. I know Dr. Mallard was heading up right after Vance told us, and the director's certainly going to be following us at some point tonight." Then her expression softened. "We can maybe have a night out and if anything grave happens, I'll be nearby if they need me. But really, I don't think Tony would mind me not being physically in the hospital."

Jake caught her drift. "I have a friend at the office who's a walking Zagat's. Let me check with him for some restaurants and I'll get back to you."

His smile put her at ease. "And stop by the house, pick up some stuff for me for tomorrow...and tonight," she replied suggestively.

They finished their coffees and walked out of the shop. Before parting, there was a passionate kiss, a reminder to keep the spark alive.

She figured it was a fair deal. Good co-worker and good wife. It was all about balance.


	33. Chapter 33

_Senior is one hell of a wheeler dealer. He's working on playing cupid for his son and Ziva, even if they don't need the help. And he's going to be gifting them with something he treasures most._

 _And there may be a little interest from Senior in Nettie. That's something that both Tony and Ziva may fear._

 _The translation of the Italian is "You don't want something flashy, but something classic." "This, this is the ring!"_

Anthony DiNozzo Senior was getting an even later start to his day than he had initially planned. He had gotten a room at a mid-range hotel, not what he usually went for, but it was clean and comfortable and he just needed the rest. Unfortunately, he didn't actually fall asleep until nearly midnight but thankfully he woke up at nine am. That was also a-typical of him. He thought it best. Senior had been hanging around hospital so much, he was worried Junior would get annoyed, thinking he was being smothered by his father.

Besides, Senior rationalize that his son had Ziva with him and from the looks he saw his boy give her, it seemed like she was the most important person in the world to him. That was a relief to the father. He was sure Tony was lost without her. Seeing the former partner at the hospital with him made his heart glad. Finding out she was going to be making him a grandfather...well that sent him over the moon!

When Senior had gotten up the next morning, he placed some calls. Most were back to Chicago, apologizing for leaving so fast and explaining there had been a family emergency. Thankfully, they understood and would hold onto the deal that had been struck before Senior got the call from Tim. Next was a far more important call. It was to his banker in New York. Even though his means were less, he still had some funds, an excellent relationship with his bankers and a safe deposit box in the city. That box held those things that were most dear to him, the most priceless of which was his wife's engagement ring.

The Anthony DiNozzo who had placed the ring on her finger was a very different man. He was young, just getting his start in business. He'd just completed his first big deal and knew he could now propose to the woman he'd fallen in love with from the first time he saw her at the movie theater, someone who seemed far above him. But, God, did he love her! And he wanted to find the perfect ring to express that love. He had been walking in the Diamond District, searching, yet oddly enough, he hadn't found it, even though he'd been shown hundreds. He was disappointed, so his next stop was to visit his grandmother in Little Italy. He told her his problem and she had gone looking at rings with him.

They went back a day or so later. Anthony had shown his Nonna a few of the rings he had seen on his first visit. But the older woman shook her head at most of them.

" _Non si voule sgargianti ma qualcosa di classico."_ She then saw a one carat Tiffany setting. It had an heirloom quality to it, one that bespoke old money, even if he wasn't from that. " _Questo! Questo è l'anello!"_

 _Grandmother was right,_ he remembered. His future wife loved it and it didn't come off her finger until the day she died. That was when he had put it away in the safe deposit box. Senior had intended to give it to his son when the time was right, when he had found a woman to love as much as Senior had loved his wife. But Junior never seemed to have been serious about any woman, so his father believed it would never see the light of day again.

But, that time had come at last. He spoke to a representative of the bank and informed them that, as soon as he was able, he'd be up in New York to collect it. Anthony thought he'd wait until Tony was out of the hospital and back in DC, so it would be a while. Senior wanted to push the couple along, but not be too pushy about it.

When he arrived at the hospital in the early afternoon, Gibbs was sitting outside the room. "Mr. DiNozzo," he acknowledged.

"Sorry I'm late. I had a hard time getting to sleep, then, when I did finally, I woke up around nine. Also, I decided to hang back, give Junior and Ziva some space," Senior explained to the other man for some reason. Then he peeked into his son's room. "Has anything happened?"

"They've scheduled his surgery," Gibbs told him. "It's going to be done this evening."

"Oh, that's great! I just need this nightmare to be over," Senior said. He took another look inside. "Is it alright if I…?" Gibbs just shrugged his shoulders, which the elder DiNozzo took as a yes.

He entered the room, a big smile on his face. "I heard the good news, son!"

Tony jumped at the sound of his father's voice. "Hey, Dad, you just get here?" he asked, a touch of uneasiness in his voice.

"I know it's late in the day, but you've had me so worried, I just was down for the count last night. I didn't get up until late morning and then, well, I knew Ziva would be with you, and Gibbs, and I didn't want to crowd you any further," Senior said. After that, he turned to Ziva. "My dear, you look much more rested. Did you get any sleep yourself?"

Ziva smiled graciously, probably sensing that what he was telling them was little more than one of his usual excuses. He was sure that's what Junior was thinking. Heck, even to his own ears, it sounded like that, like the man who seemed to ignore his son, even when he was sick or injured.

"I did get some sleep, yes. But I have been awake for a while. It was very early morning then, so I decided to take advantage of it and make some calls back to Israel, let people who needed to know that I will be staying in the United States, divesting myself of much of what I have there. And I spoke to one of my aunts," she informed them.

"Oh, you have aunts?" Senior asked, intrigued. This was the first time he had heard that. Senior thought she had absolutely no family left.

"Oh, no, um which aunt?" Tony asked before Ziva could answer the father.

"Do you remember Aunt Nettie?"

By Tony's reaction, it seemed he did. "Who is Aunt Nettie, if I may ask?" was Senior's question. Tony's face got more pained, telling his father the answer was not good.

Ziva began to softly chuckle. "She is my father's eldest sister."

Before she continued, the lightbulb went off over his head. "Oh, yes, I remember you mentioning that after Tony was more conscious."

Tony looked to his father for a second, and then slid his eyes back to Ziva. Then he took a deep breath as he asked, "What have you told her?"

Senior saw the same smile on her face, sweet, but with the underlying warning to it. "Do you really want to know?" Tony's face was further stricken until she said, "I only told her I was planning on staying here in the United States, nothing more." Now, his son looked relieved. "I do not think it was the time to tell her I was pregnant or that the baby's father had been shot."

Senior decided to interrupt them at that moment. "It may be nice to invite her, so our families can meet," he suggested graciously.

That brought out a side of Ziva Tony's father had never seen. "Oh, it is not necessary...I don't think…" When both the men eyed her up, she covered with, "We can talk about it at a later time. As I said, I have not told her about the baby, though she did guess about Tony."

Tony's face fell again. "This can't be good." He turned and explained to his father, "Let's just say I don't tend to make good impressions on family members. Her father, her aunt."

That was the first time he'd heard that. "So, you have met Ziva's father?" he asked. Neither answered him however, as they both had uncomfortable looks on their faces.

But he never got the chance to get an answer. A nurse entered the room and shooed both Ziva and Senior, needing to check his reading in preparation for the surgery.

That would have to be a topic for a later date, Anthony Senior decided. Besides, he wanted to learn all he could about the mother of his grandchild. _And, if all goes well, my future daughter-in-law!_


	34. Chapter 34

_The end of this chapter is based on a comment left by sexydepablo. I don't answer your question directly. I'm not creative enough to write smut. But, I'm sure any of you reading are that creative, so use your imaginations to answer Abby's question!_

 _See, leaving a comment can even help my writing process along. If you think of something, I'll note it's from you! Credit where credit is due._

Abby was confronted with several problems, none of which she had solutions to. One was, even with making the image clearer, and it wasn't that much, the facial recognition program hadn't been able to find a match in most of the databases she looked in. Interpol was the last one, since it was the biggest, but she didn't think it would do much, since this really looked like some simple drug case. She went ahead, however, and began Interpol's list while she focused on another problem. Her next problem seemed a lot simpler. Major mass spec had ID'ed a lot of different substances, among them drugs, the FBI collected at the crime scene and they'd need further testing for a full analysis.

That led to her to the last of the problems she had. There was no time to waste on all these test. Vance had okayed early outs today to get up to the hospital for Tony's operation. She wanted to get there as soon as she could. But, these other two problems needed to be solved before she could leave.

She sent a silent prayer to the universe to send help for her woes. Then her cellphone rang. The caller ID blinked on with the name 'Carol Wilson'. It looked like her prayers were answered!

"Carol, I'm so glad that you called I'm a mess I need your help." It all came out in one run-on sentence, but she knew Carol would understand.

"Yeah, Abby, I heard. How is Agent DiNozzo doing?" her friend asked.

"Oh, Carol he was shot and they're doing another surgery on him tonight and I'm scared and I want to be there for him but I still have a ton of work to slosh through!" Abby took a deep breath finally. "Actually, maybe you can help me."

She could feel the smile on her friend's face. "Anything I can do, Abby, you know I'll do it for you."

There were very few people in the world that Abby Sciuto trusted in her lab without her presence. For the most part, they didn't even include her co-workers at NCIS. Heck, she'd written a dummies guide for them should it happen they needed to use her babies and she couldn't be there. But Carol, Carol she could trust. "I've got a lot of tests going and they're all taking way too long for me and I want to get to Baltimore as soon as I can and I was wondering…"

"Say no more. I'm going to need about an hour to get there since I have a few things to clean up here. But I can babysit your machines for you," he friend told her.

"Oh thank you so much Carol! I owe you like, a thousand times over!" Abby was jumping out of her skin with worry over Tony, but Carol came through for her.

An hour later, as promised, Carol was walking into the lab. "Okay, give me the rundown of what you've got going, what you'll need and what you want me to to work on."

Her friend knew her so well. Abby gave Carol all the information she needed and headed out the door. "If anything dings, give me a ring," she concluded.

Carol nodded to her. "Got it, boss. Now, go! I know how worried you are about DiNozzo. If anything comes up, I'll give you a shout."

Abby bent down to give her friend a quick hug and left without saying anything else. It took another frustrating hour and a half to get up to Baltimore because the traffic between there and DC was moving slower than a possum in the summer, unfortunately. When she got there, she needed a CafPow before she went into the hospital, so she stopped and, by the time she got there, it was another half-hour. However the CafPow had, at last, calmed her.

Abby made her way to the room that Tony was in and found Ducky and Ziva in there with him. It was the first time since all of this had happened that she saw Tony without all the tubing and wiring attached to him. "Oh, my God, Tony!" she cried.

"Hey Abs, how you doing?" he asked, doing one from his catalogue of impressions.

"How am I doing? HOW AM I DOING?" She was about to blow her top at how nonchalant he seemed to be.

He seemed to seeing where she was heading. "Abby…"

"No! No 'Abbying' me! I was more scared than anything else has scared me in my whole life! You need to be more careful! Now more than ever! I mean, you're going to be a father. You need to think about that before you do anything!"

Now it was Ziva's turn to try and calm her. "Actually, Abby, remember, he...didn't exactly know…" she tried to remind her friend.

"Yeah and whose fault is that!" That set her off even more, as she turned to continue her rant. "How could you take so long to tell us! I mean, if you'd been here, he wouldn't have been going into these dangerous situations! And why did you take so long, huh? What, you didn't think Tony was good enough or something!" When she saw Ziva wince, Abby stopped immediately and ran across the room to hug her friend. "I'm sorry! It's just…"

"I know, Abby. You were upset," Ziva said, quietly. "I am surprised it took you this long to give me hell, as it is." Then she smiled at Abby reassuringly.

"Abby, I'm alright, okay?" Tony asked. "The doctors don't forsee any problems with the procedure. And Ziva and I have talked. We're alright. I'm going to be alright," he repeated.

"And a daddy! Can you believe it! I can't. But, I know, you'll be great, but, still…" She took a deep breath. "About that, I've got a question about you and Ziv-"

She wasn't able to say anything else because Ducky had put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. It was sadly obvious that the good doctor knew what she was going to try to ask, since she still didn't believe Ziva's answer from the day before. "My dear, I do not believe that is really any of our business."

She stopped and looked at all three. When the hand was finally removed, it was Ziva who talked. "I think maybe we need to have a...girl talk. I have a feeling she is going to haunt us with that question." It didn't take much longer for the two of them to be back in the hospital cafeteria, leaving a very confused Anthony DiNozzo.

Abby had almost completely calmed down by time they sat down with their teas. "I'm sorry, it's just…"

"I know. Abby, I've known you for a lot of years. I remember how you were when Gibbs was injured in the explosion aboard the Turkish ship," Ziva said to her as she herself frowned at the memory. It was not one of her finer moments in their friendship.

"Vance said you were staying." It wasn't a question, but it was information Abby needed to be confirmed from the woman herself. She was desperate for reassurances, so she decided to be direct.

Ziva nodded. "Yes. When I am able, when Tony is healthy, I will return to Israel and tie up my life there, say goodbye to friends and the little family I have left there. But my life is here, in DC."

"With Tony?" That was a question. Again, she needed her fears quelled.

Ziva smiled as she nodded her head. "For a while," she stopped, seemed to rethink, then amended whatever she was going to say, "for a long time, we were in love with each other. I think we knew it, but…"

"You couldn't admit it to each other," Abby concluded. Yeah, that was no surprise.

"We couldn't admit it to ourselves," she confessed. Abby took another minute and nodded. Again, not a shock. "We are total opposites, it didn't seem possible!"

"And now you can?" Abby sounded hopeful. She loved the both of them so much. It was cliched, but Tony really was like the big brother she never had. And Ziva...Abby lowered her eyes, remembered with a heavy heart a time when she hated Ziva, hated her taking Kate's place on the team. But she came to love Ziva so much, and she had seen, over the years, how much Tony had fallen for her. Now, all Abby wanted more in the world was for the two people she loved so much to be together, with each other, with their child.

Ziva, who was always so much more perceptive than anyone gave her credit for, took Abby's chin in her fingers, seemed to know what she was thinking, read all the emotions she was feeling. "Now, we both can. And it is not because we are having a child. We finally picked up on all the signs the universe was dropping on us, like…" she seemed to be trying to find the right word. "Ah, from cartoons, trying to kill a rabbit?"

"Like anvils?" Abby giggled, remembering Ziva's issues with American slang. "Bugs Bunny, Wile E. Coyote."

She laughed, nodding to Abby that she was correct. "You know, it was like that, from the moment I walked into the office," Ziva said, as it seemed she'd been swept up in, "despite that fact he was having dirty thoughts."

"The universe works in mysterious ways, Ziva. It takes some time to work them out," Abby told her, smiling. And it had taken them a long time. There were mixed signals, false starts, annoyance, jealousy, other personal entanglements, the whole gamut. But, at last, they seem to have gotten the memo and Abby couldn't be more ecstatic.

Then, hearing Ziva's last comment, she decided to broach one topic, one that had been killing her since Ziva appeared in her lab forty-eight hours ago, since it had been so plain to see what they had done. "Can you answer me one question? Just one and then I swear, I'll never ask it again." Ziva seemed a little scared as she awaited what Abby was going to ask. Then, it was vocalize, a question between two friends, like a secret to be kept.

"What was Tony like in bed?"


	35. Chapter 35

_As I noted about medical issues, I'm no expert. Nor am I with computer programs and technology. I just figure someone, somewhere, could come up with an algorithm doing what I describe._

 _I have heard from some of you want to go certain ways with certain characters. And I do appreciate your opinions. But, as with Ellie, Delilah is a character I've come to enjoy when she's been onscreen, so that relationship will still be here in my story._

 _But, by all means, please let me know what you think. I do still want to hear from my readers._

"I think I got it!" Tim cried from his desk. He looked around for accolades from his co-workers and saw none of them there. It took him a second to remember Gibbs hadn't left Baltimore since the shooting, Ducky had left just after Vance had told them about Tony's scheduled surgery, Ellie had checked on a few things before she too left and Abby had hustled out as soon as her friend Carol had gotten to NCIS.

He figured that Vance would be holed up in his office, until he heard the man's voice. "What have you got?" he asked McGee as he came down the stairs.

"Ah, Director, I think I've finally been able to clean up these images enough to get an ID on Tony's shooter," he said as he brought up the picture on the plasma. "It looks like there was an algorithm on the digital file it was in, blocking most attempts at clearing it up."

"What kind of algorithm?"

McGee's mind worked in overdrive, trying to think of a simple way to explain it. He doubted that the director had more much patience for long, technical dissertations any more than Gibbs. "Yeah, a program like a filter that a hacker could plant in the system in order to make it take longer than normal to get a...clean...shot. Sends a virus to wipe out very specific parts of the file."

"That sounds like something above the pay-grade of your average drug runner," Vance opined.

Tim agreed. "From what I've read, they're are still in beta-testing, programs like what this could be still have a lot of the bugs, so to even see one in use is highly unusual. But, I think that's what this is. And," he clicked to another screen, "I think I was able to circumvent the bug." Another few clicks and the shot of the face was almost crystal clear.

"Get Ms. Sciuto's friend on this," Vance ordered as McGee sent it down to the lab. "Now, the question is, who would even have the technical know-how and ability to acquire a program like this?"

Tim thought about it for a minute. "Well, I'd think that some in the intelligence community would want something like this. It could protect assets who have been compromised, prevent them from being identified long enough for the asset to get out and get to safety."

He could see Vance swallow that information. "Intelligence...like Mossad or the CIA?"

Tim nodded his head. "They'd be at the top of my list of organizations who'd want something like this."

"Okay, I need to check with some people, feel them out about their knowledge of something like this. Good work, McGee," Vance told him as he headed back to his office. Then, he stopped and turned back to him. "When are you heading to the hospital?"

"Uh, I was going to stay here a little bit more, try and work it on some things," he tried to excuse. Vance gave him a suspicious look, but seemed to accept it.

Yes, Tim did want to be there for his friend, no matter how unrelentingly annoying Tony could be. Right from the first time they met, he'd been a pain in the behind. Tony teased, tormented and tortured him from then on. Yes, Abby had a point, it was the way he expressed his friendship, but he wished the other man would at least tone it down. Maybe fatherhood would be the antidote for that. With Tim's luck, that wouldn't be the case.

But the truth was, Tim had been in too many hospitals, too many mortuaries, too many cemeteries for his liking the last few years. Kate Todd, Paula Cassidy and Jackie Vance were among the dead. Tony and Gibbs had already been hospitalized and near-death once each. His father, dying of cancer, was in and out of numerous treatments, but the results weren't improving. Delilah...he didn't even want to think about that.

Then he vaguely heard the elevator chime, bring him out of his glum recollections and saw Delilah wheel herself out and towards him. "Hey, I thought you'd be ready to get out of here by now. Didn't Vance give you the time off?"

For a second, he didn't remember how she knew. He'd been so caught up in working on the footage to recall sending an email to her keeping her updated when Vance had passed on the information that Tony would be operated on later. He thought she should know, since Tony had been there for her when she had been seriously injured. All in all, he was thankful to Tony for keeping her spirits while she was recuperating, even if he hadn't understood the other man's methods at the time. He knew she'd want to reciprocate, so he'd asked her if she wanted to come with him when he went. She had readily agreed.

"Yeah, I was just finishing some things up here," he said, collecting his things. "I think I was finally able to get a useable image pulled from the street cams. It looks like they were tampered with somehow. That was why we were having a hard time with it."

"Tampered? How?" Delilah asked.

"It looked like the file that contained the footage had a bug that gummed up our ability to get a clear shot for facial recognition to work," he explained as he shut his computers. When he finally turned to look at her, she had a strange expression on her face. "Delilah, what's the matter?"

"Ah, nothing," she tried to cover, as she turned back towards the elevator.

But he could tell there was something. "You've heard about a program like this." It was not a question.

One thing about his girlfriend was, she was never really able to lie to him. "I know that some agencies were working on something like that," was what she said, all but confirming the theory he'd told Vance.

"Like the CIA?"

Delilah nodded her confirmation. "Among others. But how it was used on a city's police network, I have no idea," she replied.

"Do you know just who has this technology?" Tim asked. "Look, the only reason I ask is, if we know who has it, it could help us narrow down who would want to slow down our investigation."

She looked uncomfortable. "Tim…" But he gave her a silent look pleading for help. "I don't know exactly, but I can look into it for you."

"Thank you," he said as they left the office. "It's just, this started off as a simple drugs-and-murder case. Drug dealing sergeant, killed by one of his pushers who takes off for Baltimore and turns up at a rundown house, where there is someone else there who shoots a federal agent."

On the way up, they continued to talk about what Tim had learned. "You've got a point about using this hack on the footage," Delilah said. "Now that you've gotten a shot of the shooter, has he been able to be identified?"

"Carol Wilson, a scientist friend of Abby's, offered her help with keeping an eye on Abby's lab. She's running the facial recognition databases. Now that we seem to have the bug removed from the file and the picture cleaned up, it should be able to come up with a match," Tim told her. "It's taken way too long to get to this point as it is."

She still had a look of disbelief on her face. "I still can't see how some...common criminal would be able to get his hands on software like that. It almost feels that there's a premeditated aspect to it," Delilah comment

Something she said, it sounded strange to Tim but it haunted him as well. It had bothered him when the call from Baltimore had come in asking specifically for Tony, even though the BOLO had been from NCIS. Something was off, Tim's gut was telling him.

They eventually got to Tony's room in the hospital. He saw Gibbs, Ducky and Senior there, but no Ziva or Abby. "Where's Ziva?" he asked, a little concerned.

"In a place where she can get into a lot of trouble," Tony replied, his face strained. When McGee cocked his head, he added, "At the cafeteria with Abby...for some 'girl talk'" He made the air quotes gesture as he said it.

"Oh, that sounds great!" Delilah perked up. "I think I may go join them."

"You know, I don't know if that's such a..." Tim sputtered as she left, "...good idea."

"Oh, not good, probie," Tony said, "Not good at all. The three of them together…"

Tim tried to not think about it. Instead, he turned his attention back to the case. "By the way, Boss, we got the images from the streetcam finally cleaned up enough to run facial rec."

"Wait, you haven't been able to do that yet?" Tony's attention shifted immediately. He must have realized how long it had been to get to this point, way longer than usual.

Gibbs looked in his direction and then back to McGee. Before Tim could answer Tony's question, he had one of his own. "And?"

Tim thought it best to reply to their boss first. "Uh, Abby's friend has it and-"

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs!" Abby called from down the hall. She appeared at last with Ziva behind her and Delilah bringing up the rear. "Carol! She got something! She got an ID of the scumbag who shot Tony!"

"And we should be able to get an ID," he finished unnecessarily, but thankful to have some answers at last.


	36. Chapter 36

_And I decided to continue to allow you, the readers, to paint your own pictures of Tony and Ziva together._

 _I do apologize if the points of the actual case that are brought up don't make a whole lot of sense. That's the part of the story really being done on the fly and it is becoming a bit of a struggle, as it was supposed to be just barely in the background, that is to say a lot more than it actually is._

When her sister Tali had died, Ziva thought she'd never have someone else who she could share her secrets with, those wishes, hopes and dreams that only they would know. There would never be one to confide in about crushes on boys, stolen kisses, or dream lovers. Tali had been taken so young, they had never even gotten the chance for any of that and Ziva thought the opportunity was lost forever.

In truth, she didn't think of Abby Sciuto as her sister and she knew the other woman well enough that Abby would not consider it either. But she was the best friend she had not had in a very long time. The relationship had not started that way, but that was who this woman had become all these years later.

Abby's question had not shocked her at all. It had seemed the forensic tech thought for a while there was more to Ziva's relationship with Tony than was true. Ziva knew Abby didn't believe her when she told them the latest twist with the NCIS agent was only within the last few months. Yes, she admitted the feelings had been there, on both their parts, for a while. But they had not acted on them until he had found her in Israel. Still, she indulged her friend with a few juicy tidbits.

"Aw, that is so cute! I wouldn't have thought about Tony as doing something like that!" the goth exclaimed. "He's always had this macho attitude about him, like the Italian Stallion."

"Well, there was a good deal of Italian spoken but in the end, it was indeed very...satisfying," Ziva said.

"Well, duh! I think the evidence is heavily favored on that." She gestured to her stomach, and Ziva laid her hand on it. "So this does mean I'll be Aunt Abby, right?"

"Oh, absolutely yes. And I do not think either of us will mind if you gift our daughter with...some," she held her finger up, "of your fashion sense."

"I know this shop in Falls Church that has kiddie clothes in black. It's actually really cute, if that's your thing."

Ziva laughed, imagining what those would look like. After a moment, though, Ziva stilled. She had been thinking of something for a long time and hadn't asked anyone about it, not Tony, not Gibbs. She thought it would be safest to talk to Abby, though. "Abby, what was this case that Tony was working on? I haven't really processed it until a little while ago, but I have to ask, what has been going on?"

Abby sat upright and got serious. "I don't have all the details, but I can tell you what I know, at least from the forensic angle," she began. "There was this sergeant in Quantico who they'd thought had been running drugs through the camp for a while and had a network of subordinates who worked for him. Lance Corporal Wren, the guy Gibbs and Tony chased up here to Baltimore, he was suspected as being one of them. Well, Sergeant Hawkes, the alleged drug runner, he turns up dead one morning and Wren is the prime suspect because a number of people saw them arguing the day before and there were bags of cocaine and heroin with Wren's fingerprints on them in the sergeant's quarters. By then, though, Wren had vanished and was only spotted by a cop here in Baltimore who knew Tony when he'd been here. So, from what McGee told me when we went back to DC yesterday, he called and asked specifically for Tony and Gibbs to investigate."

"Why Gibbs?" It seemed strange to Ziva to ask for anyone specific, let alone two.

"Well…" It seemed to have been hitting Abby as well that it was out of the ordinary. "I guess the only reason I can think is because when Tony arrested his former boss for his former partner's murder, Gibbs was...with...him…" There was a certain logic to that, but it was still strange to Ziva. Just then, before she could think it through any further, her phone rang. "It's my friend, Carol. She's at my lab, keeping an eye on the tests I left so I could come up here," she explained before she answered the cell. "Carol, have you got anything?"

Ziva could hear a voice at the end of the line, but couldn't make out what it was saying. From Abby's reactions, however, it was at least some good news. "And you're sure? Okay, give me the name again…" Abby looked up, as if trying to remember something. "You got anything else? Thanks a ton again Carol. Let me know if major mass spec comes up with anything else." She hung up and smiled at Ziva.

"Got a lead?" she asked.

"Yep," Abby answered. But before she went on, she grabbed Ziva's hand and they headed back to Tony's room. When the elevator opened for them, Delilah Fielding was sitting there, as if waiting for them.

"Abby! Ziva! I was just about to join you," she told them.

"No time to talk," Abby replied as the two of them joined the other woman. The button for the floor hit, they made their way to Tony's room and once the door opened, Abby made a beeline in that direction. Ziva hurried after her as fast as she could and Delilah followed, still surprised to have run into the two women. They all heard Tim say. "Abby's friend has it and-"

Without preamble, Abby headed into the room to make her announcement. "Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! Carol! She got something! She got an ID of the scumbag who shot Tony!"

Ziva reached the room in time to see Tim sag a bit. She figured he wanted to reveal his findings to everyone else, but Abby had stolen his thunder. "And we should be able to get an ID," he concluded glumly.

"Not should! We did!" Abby was almost too excited to contain, but then Gibbs stared her down.

"Abs!" It was a short shout, but it did the trick. Abby stilled, as if waiting for something else to be said. Gibbs obliged, throwing her a look that often prompted her to explain further.

McGee stepped in again. "I was just explaining to everyone I figured out what the problem was with getting an ID off the images," he said again. "A filter of some kind was embedded into the file with the purpose of-"

"Tim, we've all worked with Gibbs long enough to remember he doesn't care for the how, just the what," Abby reminded him, as if to chastise him.

"Got a point, there, McHacker," Tony piped up, trying, in his usual charming way of being helpfully not helpful.

Gibbs wheeled back, shooting daggers at both Tony and McGee, before asking Abby, "And?"

"Juan Miguel de los Santos Hernandez," she chortled.

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "Hernandez? Can it be a connection to the Reynoso drug cartel?" she asked, her mind flashing back to Paloma Reynoso and her brother, the children of the man who killed Gibbs' wife and daughter.

"Carol's sure?" Tim asked, as if doing the same figuring in his head as Ziva had done. "That can't be a coincidence."

Tony voiced what Ziva, and probably everyone else was thinking. "Rule thirty-nine, no such thing."

"The only question is," Abby now asked, "why?"


	37. Chapter 37

_Confession, continued from my note on the last chapter. The case wasn't supposed to be any real focus of the story. Then it was going to be the Reynoso angle. Then, I remembered the two converged at the end of the eleventh season. There you go. And, the circle is still relatively small with who knows the details of the case. It'll grow a bit more, but not for a while._

 _Ziva's still going to be struggling with her fear. I've been doing an extensive rewatch of NCIS and Ziva made a comment to Dr. Cranston about wanting something permanent, something that can't be taken from her. That actually ties in nicely for the state of mind she's in throughout the story._

Tony realized he'd been out of it for the past forty-eight hours or so. Getting shot will do that to you. So will the woman you love who you thought gone forever coming back in your life and, oh, by the way, _pregnant with your child!_ And the drugs in your system don't help matters. But, when Abby came running into his room declaring she had found out who had shot him, he also realized this was the first time he'd even thought about why he was back in Baltimore in the first place.

He'd been sitting at his desk in the squad room, piecing together the information they had on Howard Wren all day when he'd finally had it and packed it in for the night. Ellie and McGee said they were staying behind, trying to obtain any more information they had on him. He told them to call him if anything came up.

Just as he was pulling up to his apartment, his phone rang. Senior. His dad had been calling him constantly until a week ago, giving him the details of the plans for his upcoming wedding to Linda. Then, he had stopped. Tony wasn't worried, though. Frankly, he was more worried when he heard from his father than when he didn't. He answered his phone and his dad was going on about a big business deal he had in the works. Tony didn't think much about it, as it was more typical of the calls he got from his father when he got them.

Actually, he'd rather hear about Senior's wheeling and dealing. It still wigged him out, the thought of his dad and Linda. He loved the woman and she'd been there as much as possible after his mother's death, but he was still uneasy about his father and his mother's best friend.

Tony listened as his father as he got into his apartment and then mercifully, he was off the phone. He stowed his gun and checked on Kate and Ziva. They were still swimming around, no care in the world. He'd begun to make himself dinner when his phone rang again.

Joe McMann was a cop he'd known when he and Price had been partners in Baltimore. Not real well, but enough to have beaten him in the precinct pool tourney. McMann said he'd seen Wren from the BOLO that NCIS had issued, up in one of the dumpier parts of the city. "Professional courtesy and all, me calling you," he'd said. "Figured you and your boss would want to be the first to know."

Tony took the information down and called Gibbs. It was shortly thereafter he'd found himself in the car with the older man, who was being his usual taciturn self. Hell, even moreso, especially after he'd alluded to Ziva.

Tony shook himself out of the memory and looked to the side of his bed. A part of him still didn't believe she was here. He really thought he'd never see her again once he boarded that plane. _Never say never again,_ he thought, the 1983 Bond movie flashing in his head.

Tony tried to turn his attention back to McGee and Abby doing battle trying to score more points with Gibbs. Right now, in his opinion, Abby was winning, as she cut through McGeek's technobabble to reveal his shooter's name.

And it made no sense to him. "Dad, can you leave for a bit? We need to talk business." Tony looked back at his father, who didn't put up an argument. He sent a silent look to Tim.

"Um, Delilah, can you…?"

He didn't need to say anything else. "Above my clearance level?" she asked as she wheeled herself back to the room's door. That was one of the great things about McGee's girlfriend. She knew there were things she wasn't allowed to know. "Mr. DiNozzo, want to get a cup of coffee with me?"

His father smiled. "I never turn down an offer from a beautiful woman," he said as they made their way down the hall.

Tony shook his head. "Never misses an opportunity to use the charm," he muttered. Then he looked to Gibbs. Their boss had that haunted stare he got whenever anything related to his murdered wife and daughter was brought up. It could be minimally connected to their topic, but the look was the same-like he'd been thrown for a loop while shot with a round. Tony decided to exert his Senior Field Agent status to allow Gibbs time to recover. "What is he, another son?"

Tim was at work on his tablet. It had a secure connection back to the office, so he was able to access any files he needed. "No, not that. But his father, Gabriel Hernandez, was the brother of…" Tim's eyes shifted to Gibbs.

Nobody needed to say anymore. They all knew who his brother was.

Again, Tony took action to ease any burden off of Gibbs. "I'm actually surprised no one else from that family has come after us, what with setting Alejandro up to Swiss cheese his sister, the head of one of the biggest drug cartels in Mexico. What was he, a button man for the cartel?"

"'Button man'?" Ziva, naturally. But Tony shook his head. He'd explain it to her later.

"Well, now I think we know how they got their hands on some pretty sophisticated computer software," Tim theorized out loud. "Even from jail, I'm sure Alejandro still has some connection in the Mexican government."

"Even so," Ducky added, a hint of disbelief, "that is rather a leap for a jailed former Mexican bureaucrat, isn't it?"

"Not if he's got other connections," Gibbs said at last.

"Parsa?" he said as Ziva whipped around to him, open-mouthed. Tony was about to add to that when a new voice came into the room. It was a surgical nurse, who informed Tony they were going to begin prepping him for surgery. Looking very reluctant, as they seemed to have been making progress brainstorming, everyone began to leave, wishing their luck. But before Ziva could turn to leave, Tony grabbed her hand.

Her look concerned him more than what he was being readied for. "You okay?"

He could always tell when Ziva was struggling between fighting and hiding. It looked like the latter was winning right now. "It's been so much to take in since I got here and now, you mentioned someone...I have heard the name only mentioned once or twice." She took a deep breath, willing herself to go on. "When they came for me...I heard the name Benham Parsa."

"Look, Ziva," he said softly. She looked like she was ready to crumble before he continued. It was an attitude that was so foreign to him for her. "Ziva, right now, I don't want to you to worry about that. You're not NCIS anymore, let them take care of it. And they'll understand. I want you to think about one thing and one thing only."

"You?" she asked with a cracked smile.

He thought about it for a minute. "Okay, two things." He flashed her his brightest smile, trying to cheer her up. "I'm going to be fine. You just worry about yourself and," he brought his hand to her stomach, "our baby. Just that. Don't think about the latest Big Bad right now, just her."

"Her? Do you think it's a girl?"

He raised an eyebrow at that. "Do you?" She smiled back at him enigmatically. "Look, my gut tells me the only thing this world would let me be a father to is a girl. I mean, consider all the bad karma I've racked up."

He saw her relax a little, which was the point of his comment. He could tell Ziva was ready to go off in ten different directions the minute he said the name Parsa. It made him thankful they'd come to get him down for the procedure. "My gut tells me the same thing," she said at last.

"That makes three," Senior agreed, as he seemed to blink into existence in the doorway. He came over and put his hand on the top of Tony's head. "Look, son."

Tony could see the emotion on his father's face. "Dad, I'll be fine. They don't think this'll be anything big," he tried to reassure his father.

"Tony, it's surgery. There's always…" Senior stopped there, unable to continue.

"Ziva, I'm adding one more person to worry about," he informed her, nodding his head towards his father.

He knew he didn't need to say anything more. "I'll keep an eye on him," she replied as she bent down and kiss him. Tony hadn't been ready for it, and was actually a little uncomfortable kissing her in front of Senior. "Stay strong," she whispered. Then, with a light tap on the head, she told him with a watery smile, "Come back to me."

She had to step back as they were moving his bed out of the room. They held hands for as long as they could until the doors to the surgical unit forced their separation.


	38. Chapter 38

_I wasn't sure until recently (I've only just begun watching the thirteenth season) if Ellie had been read in about the Hernandez case. Happily, she hasn't, at least by this time. And really, I have got to cut down on the number of people in that hospital! I know it's way too many, even if Ducky's called in every favor he's ever been owed. So, the husband and wife are getting a bit of a night on the town, while everyone else waits for word on Tony._

Gibbs hung back as Tony was rolled to the operating room. This was a private moment between him and Ziva and he had no more right than anyone else on the team to be a part of it. Once Tony was gone, Ziva turned back to them, a haunted look on her face. The doctors had gone into great detail during the afternoon about the procedure and seemed confident that there should be no complications. But Gibbs could tell Ziva wasn't as sure.

It wasn't unexpected. The woman had endured so much loss, especially in the last year. Her father's death, the betrayal of a family friend, an attack on her that he still wasn't entirely clear about, and now throwing in the injuries to Tony and her own pregnancy, with the accompanying hormones, and he could understand she was a wreck.

He realized that was why she had come to him first. Over the last few years, she, more than anyone else on his team, looked up to him as a child to a father. It should have made him uncomfortable, but there was something about Ziva...he had allowed it. He had warned Eli David off of her when after she had been rescued by them. It was he that played bad cop and allowed Leon to take the hit from the Mossad director when he'd been told of Gibbs' warning. It was he who had signed off on her officially becoming an NCIS agent.

They were all her family now, one more than most. He usually would never have approved of two of his people getting involved with one another, but he turned a blind eye away from the two of them. It was almost inevitable. But the curveball had come in Tony's shooting. And that was when it had finally hit him.

Tony had been shot, badly. There was a minute there where Tony had stopped breathing, but Gibbs wouldn't allow it. He hadn't even made sure the shooter was dead himself, although he was fairly confident of the fact. But he'd begun as much first aid as he could until the ambulance arrived. He talked to Tony, he'd sworn at the younger man, and then Gibbs told him Ziva was back, and pregnant. For sure, Tony hadn't heard the last part, by the reaction to the news he had displayed when he'd finally woken up.

"Hey, Ziva, you heard the doctors. You heard DiNozzo," he tried to comfort her with. He'd never been a great optimist, a great cheerleader, but he felt he had to try for her sake.

She closed her eyes and, in shaky voice, said, "I know, Gibbs." But her words didn't match her outlook.

Abby walked over to her and tried to console her more, but Ziva seemed lost in the whirl of everything. It was even bringing down Abby, as hard as that usually was.

"She near a breaking point, Jethro," Ducky observed.

He wanted to make a comment about the obviousness of that, but held his tongue. "What can we do for her?" he asked instead.

"Only hope that the surgery isn't long and there are no complications. She need to see for herself that Anthony will be alright. Ziva has lost too much to not think the most dire of thoughts," the older man explained.

As if to confirm that, Ziva got up. "I know...I know all of you mean well and I thank you for that, but...I need to be alone, please," she said to them. She walked away without saying anything further and without telling them where she was headed.

Once she was away, Gibbs pulled out his phone. He knew Ziva needed help, and not any of their well-meaning type. She needed a professional, one that had both attachment and detachment to the situation. The conversation was short, but the person on the other end assured him they would be there soon.

It was some time later when Gibbs looked up to see Leon Vance walk up to where they were all sitting with what looked like a basket in his arms. He saw the other man's eyes scan the area, looking for someone in particular. "DiNozzo's in surgery?" he ask.

Gibbs stood up and nodded. "They took him about forty-five minutes ago," he replied.

"And David?"

It was Ducky who answered. "Ziva...this is all so much for her, so she asked to be alone for a while."

Leon looked concerned, but Gibbs shook his head once as he moved closer. "Help is coming for her," was all he said, but Vance got the meaning.

"I thought I should join all of you here. And Kayla and Jared sent along a get-well package," he said to the team. Gibbs smiled. It was a basket of candy, stuff you'd find at a movie theater concession stand. Leon followed his gaze. "SecNav wanted to send flowers, but I told her movies would be better for him. When I called Kayla to tell her I'd be up here, she asked me to bring him something from her and her brother. I felt this would be a good accompaniment."

"They're good kids, Leon," Jethro told him.

"Well, they remembered when they were under the protection detail of DiNozzo and David. Jared said he was just a big kid himself," Leon explained with a smile. Then he grew serious. "I have had a talk with SecNav about her."

"Yeah, I figured."

"If she does come back, I won't put her in the field, no matter the stage, but at the same time I can't see her doing nothing. And that goes with when the baby is born," he went on. ""Let's call it a consultancy position. Can even be done from home, if she wants. But now, with the comment Dr. Mallard made…"

"Leon, let's not jump the gun. She's afraid, even if it makes little sense to us. Let's just make sure DiNozzo's alright," Gibbs replied. "And if he's not, I'll kill him." But Gibbs knew it wouldn't come to that.

Again, Vance nodded. Then, Gibbs' attention was drawn away from the director to approaching footsteps. Ellie Bishop and Jake Malloy approached, both dressed up nicely, "Hey, we thought we'd stop by before going out to dinner," she said.

"How is Tony?" the husband asked.

"In surgery now," Gibb answered, eyeing the two of them up.

He could see the sheepish expression on both Bishop and Malloy's faces. It was he who explained. "I was telling a colleague about Tony's shooting and that we'd be up here. He recommended a restaurant in the city."

"And I thought...well, we'd make a night of it, come back in the morning to check on him," Ellie continued. Then she turned to her husband. "It's just, since the shooting me and…"

"No need to explain. It's a good idea," Gibbs interrupted. He had a feeling Jake was becoming a little put-off by the lack of time the probationary agent was spending with him as it was. "Enjoy yourselves. We'll call you if anything changes."

She nodded and they moved on to Abby, McGee and Delilah, who were huddled closer to the doors to the operating unit. After a few minutes, they said their final goodbyes and departed. Once they were gone, McGee came over.

"You didn't say anything to her about our theory?" he asked.

Gibbs' shook his head. "Not the time. Didn't want to ruin their night. Besides, there are still things she doesn't know. And I don't think it's a great idea saying them in front of a lawyer."

"Theory?" Leon caught the conversation and was back in business mode. "What have you got?"

McGee looked at his boss and was about to answer then Gibbs took over. "It's still not firm, but this feels like the Brotherhood. They're MO is to be contracted out by others."

"And those others being?"

Now, Gibbs looked to McGee. He understood. "Abby's friend said facial recognition made a match. The shooter was Juan Miguel de los Santos Hernandez." With the last name, Vance's eyes widened to which McGee nodded to the unspoken question. "Yes, it does look like that."

"It wouldn't surprise me." That was all Gibbs could say.

Vance let out a long breath. "I thought we got them all. Damn, I have to let the FBI know about this."

"Yeah, you do," Gibbs agreed, if somewhat reluctantly. Vance put the basket down on a table and moved off, pulling out his phone. Before he wandered off too far, he called to his boss. "Just tell Fornell I won't shoot him in the ass this time."

The director smiled as he spoke into him phone. He walked off a little further when Gibbs saw another person come in their direction. "Hey, Doc, thanks for coming."

"Any time, Gibbs, you know that," Dr. Rachel Cranston said. "So, who do I need to talk to?"


	39. Chapter 39

_Okay, this is my longest chapter yet. I had a lot I wanted to say, lay a number of things to rest._

 _Rachel is a character I really love seeing around. A connection to Kate, but with her own unique attachment to the team. And I do think she'd have sought Ziva out, to alleviate her of her guilt._

 _Again, I soften Eli up and make him and Ari's mom more than just a one and done. I think there's enough evidence in show cannon to back me up, if not the least of it being, Ari was at least a presence in his father's house as a child (and, presumably, around Ziva's mother). Also, there is Eli's line in the eighth season about his house with the sounds of children laughing. I also think Ari would have the psychological make-up to create the scenario he did in light of his mother's death._

Rachel Cranston knew enough about people in general to know when they said they wanted to be alone, they generally went to a place that was quiet. And, in a hospital, that place was the chapel, no matter their religion. They didn't have to be particularly religious themselves and from what Rachel knew about Ziva David, the woman fit the assumption.

Not that Rachel was very religious herself. She and her siblings often joked with their parents that twelve years of Catholic education will do that to kids. She went to church for the important days, but a regular she was not.

Kate had actually been a bit more spiritual than she was. Her sister had been more devote in school than any of them, save their brother Andrew, who had said he wanted to be a priest until he was twelve, when the hormones hit and he noticed girls. Kate, though, still made the attempt to go to church. It ended up being that her career was more of a preventative than anything else.

So Rachel, using her sister as a model, sought out Ziva and correctly guessed where the woman was. The hospital's chapel was small and simple, with just an altar, a few candles and a stain glass window of a dove. It would have to be as nondenominational as possible, but it worked. And there was Ziva, sitting in the middle of the empty room, quiet and contemplative.

Rachel stood back for a minute and considered the other woman. Of all of Jethro Gibbs' team, she was the one who Rachel had had the least interaction with. Part of it was, besides the psychological evaluations she had done a few years ago, Ziva was the one who she didn't need to speak with as much. And since then, there had been no pressing reason for the doctor to seek her out in a professional capacity, unlike with Tony DiNozzo or Tim McGee.

But she was sure the main reason why she and Ziva had interacted so little was simply because of their families. It was the terrible fact that Ziva's brother had killed Rachel's sister. And she could understand the reticence there.

When she had gotten to the hospital, Gibbs had pulled her aside and explained why she was needed. He apologized that he hadn't been more specific over the phone, but his first thought had been getting help for Ziva. Rachel didn't mind at all. She was a professional and certainly had no negative feeling towards the other woman for the actions of her brother. Rachel knew that Ziva carried her own burden on that subject, from the morning Gibbs had brought her to his basement and showed her the stop where Ari Haswari had died by a bullet fired by his sister.

It was strange that in the years since Kate's death, Rachel had never felt any anger towards Ari himself. She had read the reports and used her knowledge to understand the psychological makeup of the man. And, in meeting those that Kate had worked with, hearing their feelings about them, it had almost eased her emotions on the subject.

Rachel must have drifted off mentally because the next thing she heard was, "Did Gibbs send you?" The doctor looked up and saw that Ziva had turned in her seat to look at her.

"Is it a problem if he did?" Rachel asked in her most soothing tone.

"I'm rather surprised he didn't come hunting for me himself," she replied with a shake of the head. "You can stay if you like."

Rachel took that as being as close to an invitation as she was going to get. She walked over to where the other woman was sitting and joined her. "Gibbs thought it would be best that if you wanted to talk, it was with someone who wasn't as close to the situation as anyone more familiar."

"Like Ducky."

"Dr. Mallard has his own deep connection to both you and Tony. Me, I haven't known any of you for as long or as much as him," she told Ziva.

Then Ziva broached the subject was would inevitably come up. "I'm sure Kate mentioned Tony a time or two."

That made Rachel laugh. Her sister had complained incessantly about her partner, saying he was actually worse than their three brothers put together, which was saying something. "Once or twice, his name came up," she joked. "She always said she wanted a younger brother when we were growing up. Hated being the baby of the family, but then she called to tell me about a trip to South America and was finally grateful Mom and Dad had stopped with her."

"Sibling can be blessing. I know my sister Tali was one," Ziva said, her eyes a bit distant.

"Yes, and I have four of them. All younger than me, so it did give me a bit of a complex. And there were times I wanted to-" Rachel stopped there, knowing what she was about to say and how inappropriate it was, considering who she was talking to.

It seemed Ziva knew how that sentence was supposed to end too. "I may have said that to my brother and sister a time or two. With Tali, when she was younger, she would bug me and I wanted her to leave me alone. But as we got older, I came to adore her even when she was a pest." Ziva bowed her head, trying to rein in her emotions. "It was the thing that I missed the most when she was gone."

Rachel knew about Ari, of course, but had never known until that point Ziva had a sister-a younger sister-or that she, too, was dead. "I'm sorry," was all she could say about this new fact, some they shared beyond Kate and Ari. They were both older sister who had buried younger ones.

"She was sixteen," Ziva told her, "and as I once said to someone else, the best of us." Then she looked at Rachel for the first time. "It is ironic that it was her death that set our other siblings on the collision course that...ended them."

"If you don't want to tell me," Rachel said. It was more for her emotional state than Ziva's really. But she saw the look and nodded her head.

Ziva began her tale. "It was a Hamas bombing. I was nineteen and in the army. I had gotten word and…" She had to take a deep breath. "A few days later, the IDF had launched a retaliatory strike in Gaza. My father, who was rising in the rank of Mossad, wasn't told where it would be, but he was alerted about the reason for it. Among the dead was a woman, Dr. Hazmina Haswari." Rachel know immediately that there was a connection there, and Ziva confirmed it with a simple nod. "When word reached my father that she was dead, he personally told Ari of his mother's death and from that day until the day he died, he believed it had been chosen specifically because of his mother."

"And it wasn't true." Rachel could not think of any man who would intentionally kill a mother of one of his children. Even with what she had learned of Eli David, that was just too cold and calculating.

"When my father was informed of the casualties, he became enraged. He may have wanted to strike out at those who killed my sister, but not with payment of Hazmina's life. It was something I learned later on, after Ari left our home." She took another deep breath as she went on. "He and Hazmina were quite the 'Romeo and Juliet'. They loved each other, but because of politics, religion, geography, they could never have been together. She later had a son by another man and my father met and married my mother. But, when I was a teenager, he had an affair with another Mossad operative and it ended my parent's marriage. The night her learned Hazmina was dead, it was the first time I saw my father cry. He had, in the end, loved her even more than my mother."

"Did you tell your brother about your father's reaction?"

"I did and he did not believe me, but I kept telling him until he appeased me," she explained. "Which was a lie, one I heard from his own mouth. He created this scenario that he had been conceived with one purpose and one purpose only. He knew he'd never be able to exact revenge on our father, but when he crossed paths with Gibbs, he saw them as one in the same and began targeting those close to him. Kate, first. Then he took a shot a Abby in her lab, forced Ducky into a meeting off the Navy Yard. He even took a shot at McGee."

"Not Tony?" Rachel lifted the side of her mouth slightly, finding some irony in that.

It seemed Ziva realized it as well. "Nothing directly, though from what I've been told, Tony was nearly blown up by a car bomb Ari had planted the day before..." Then she lightly touched her stomach, probably thinking about how her brother would have taken her news. "I was sent to bring him back, see he finished the mission he had been sent here to do. But when he failed to report, Mossad got nervous and heard Gibbs' theory out. That was when I was presented with the evidence that the team had collected. When they were finished, Gibbs sent them out and asked me if I, and by extension my brother, knew about his wife and daughter who were killed. Then he told me his plan to confirm which of us was correct. Ari turned up in Gibbs' basement and I stood upstairs. I heard it all. And, in the end…" There was more, Rachel could tell. She waited patiently, knowing that at long last, the woman was unburdening herself. "I went back to Israel, tried to atone for my sins against my family, even if it was years later. And then Tony found me, but I still felt guilty for it all. I did not deserve any of it, the love of this man who infuriates me, annoys me...who loves me. It took me a long time to find my way out of it all. And now, I could still lose him."

"Tony's tougher than he looks. Remember, the man did have the plague," Rachel reminded her with a chuckle. It seemed to lighten the atmosphere between the two women. "Ziva, what you're feeling is understandable. I know the last few years have been awful, but you can't let that cloud your beliefs. There was no way out of the decisions you were forced to make. Ari chose his path and, in a way, it was a suicide mission. He was aware he would die. He tried to take down as many as he could before he was killed himself."

"He succeeded and it cost your sister her life," Ziva replied. "After you finished your evaluations of us, Tony told me who you were and I was shocked. If I had known then, I would have.."

"You would have apologized, begged forgiveness, right?"

Ziva nodded. "How can you see me and not hate me for what he did?"

"Because his actions were out of your control. Because he poisoned his own mind to become what he was. You tried to help him, tried to reason with him. You did your due diligence to your brother. Sadly, you had to, in the end, do your duty to mine." Then Rachel took Ziva's hand. "Let go of your brother's ghost. He is not who you were then or are now. I know Kate wouldn't want it." Then she smiled again. "She would probably want to see Tony as a dad instead."


	40. Chapter 40

_I don't believe there has ever been a firm timeline of the assemblage of Gibbs' team, but from what I have pieced together, it has always seemed Ducky was the first, followed by Abby. DiNozzo is the first firm date pinned down. Those are based off of comments by Ducky in Aliyah, that Ducky observed Gibbs taking to Ziva better than Abby or DiNozzo._

There were times that Donald Mallard didn't appreciate his medical knowledge. When a friend was undergoing surgery, even minor surgery, was one of them. This, however, was a little worse.

Oh, the doctors felt certain of the procedure's success, but it was still an operation, and one near the spine. The slightest slip of the hand, and the results could be devastating. He looked at Delilah, sitting with Abby and Timothy and knew what could happen, even though her injuries had been much more severe.

Abby had spent the first hour peppering Ducky with medical questions that she did not know the answers to. Or, at least, her brain was not working to seek out the answers, but to merely worry more than usual.

Anthony DiNozzo Senior seemed to wander in and out of the waiting area, unable to keep still. It was another trait the father and son had in common, something everyone else recognized. They let him wander off, generally. While the rest of them considered themselves Anthony Junior's family, this man was that, and the impact on him was a hundred times greater than anyone. It was felt best to leave him alone with his thoughts.

Eleanor and her husband Jacob arrived a short time later, trying to act as normal as one could while worry over a friend, but Ducky was happy someone had gone looking for a distraction. The same could not be said for the rest of them, including himself. Vance arrived and conferenced for a short time with Jethro, eventually returning to join the group's vigil.

And then Dr. Cranston walked in. Ducky knew why the woman had been called and was actually relieved of it. He wasn't up to consoling Ziva, as much as he may have wanted to. And, besides, he was too close to be professional. It was better that someone else try and help the poor girl.

He also thought it might just. There was little relationship there to begin with, save for the tragedy would forever link the two women. Ziva had never known Caitlin, and Rachel only knew of Ari because of what he had done.

"It's rather ironic," he voiced after a while, "that if it had never been for Agent Todd's death, we might never have been here."

"That's what I can't stop think," McGee agreed. Ducky looked over at the younger man and saw he was remembering his late partner.

"It's always been the weirdest thing to me," Abigail added. "As a scientist, I know there are theories about alternate timelines or universes, the butterfly effect, that sort of stuff. And there are times I wish I was living in one of them. Like, when I first heard that Tony had been shot, I was just praying I would wake up and know that I was in one of them. But, at the same time, I wouldn't want to change any of it, no matter how bad it was."

Everyone was silent for a minute, until Delilah spoke up. "When was the first time any of you met Tony?" she asked.

It was then that Ducky remembered she was still relatively new to the little family they had built. But the question nonetheless warmed his heart. "Jethro brought him down to autopsy," Ducky began. "Usually, when a probationary agent is brought to view an autopsy, they tend to be squeamish. But, Anthony's years as a detective in a couple of large city departments fortified him against the worst of it. Still today, when he comes to see me down there, he winces, but generally, he handles it all rather well."

"The reason he gets like that, Ducky, is because you usually call us after lunch," McGee reminded him.

"I remember the first time he saw me," Abby said. "I mean, I know how I must look to very professional people, and I know how Tony generally looks at other women. But I think it may have been the first time in his life he didn't even think to hit on chick he's just met." And then she laughed. "And then there was the first time he came to my apartment."

"The coffin?" Tim asked. "Yeah, he let me in on what it really was, thank you very much Abby." Delilah shot Tim a look. "I'll explain later. Needless to say, it was just another time he wound me up."

"And when was the first time you met him, Tim?" his girlfriend questioned.

"Norfolk, I was the agent down there and the body of a dead submariner was found in a biohazard barrel. He told me I had to stay with the crime scene the entire night," Tim replied with a shake of the head. Then he seemed to think of something. "Hey, Boss," Tim called over. That caused Gibbs and Vance to all look in their direction. "We've been swapping stories about the first time meeting DiNozzo. Why don't you tell Delilah your's. It's kinda the most amusing."

"Oh! That's a good one!" Abby said with great delight. "Tell Delilah how he arrested you."

"DiNozzo arrested you?" That question came from Vance. The director sounded intrigued, but Ducky could tell Jethro was rather reluctant to share his story.

It took some more prodding and looks from both Abby and Delilah, but the end, Jethro told his tale. "He didn't arrest me as much as I let him arrest me," he launched off from.

By the time he had finished, (and made it surprisingly long and detail, considering how closed-mouthed Jethro normally was) another two people joined them. "The first time Kate said she met him, Gibbs said she'd be allowed to shoot him if need be," Dr. Cranston joined in accompanied by Ziva. The other member of their team seemed a little puffy-eyed, but not as much of a wreck.

"Ziva?" Abby approached her.

"I am alright. It has just been, the strain of the last…" She seemed to be counting in her head. "The last eight years, really." Then she looked to the doors. "Has there been any word?"

"None yet, my dear. We've just been passing the time with when we first met Anthony," Ducky answered.

Delilah then asked Ziva the same question, when she had first met Tony. It made the other woman blush as she glanced to her side, where Rachel was. "Let's just say, as we all know Tony so well, it would not surprise any of us what he was doing."

The conversations continued as Abby and Tim brought Delilah and Rachel up to speed on Tony stories, so Ducky decided to check in to see how Ziva was really doing, pulling her away from the rest. "Without going into details, how was your chat with Dr. Cranston?"

"We had a good talk. Mostly, it was about our brothers and sisters and how families, even as far apart as our, can be scaringly similar," she said. "I hope I will not insult you when I tell you I decided to continue...talking...with her. It seems I take two steps forward and a hundred back so often."

"No offence taken, my dear. You have needed to unburden yourself from a great many things and I think it was smart of Jethro to call Dr. Cranston." He truly meant that. He had been amazed at how she had come back from the ordeal in Africa and moved on from there. But it was no surprise that the recent turns her life had taken would cause her to fall back a little, make her re-examine so much about herself and not in the best light. "It takes time to heal, and sometimes, you never do."

Ducky looked over to where Gibbs and Vance were standing, silently pointing out his fact. Ziva nodded her understanding. Then, the two men came over then, both with concerned looks in their eyes. "How are you doing?" Gibbs asked.

"I...I am going to need time to work through it all," she admitted to them.

"And the baby you're carrying isn't helping matters. I remember when Jackie was pregnant with Kayla, she was all over the place. Took eight months to calm her down," Director Vance said.

Ducky looked to Ziva to see how she reacted to the mention of Vance's late wife. He was pleased to see her not flinch at all. There, too, was another of the landmines in her life, but she looked to be handling it well.

"I wish she was here. I could use all the advice I can get," Ziva said a last. "I just wish the doctors would come out here with some news. It is driving me crazy!"

As if heeding her wish, the doors opened and a surgeon came out with an unreadable face. "Are you Mr. DiNozzo's family?"

All eyes were on Ziva, as she nodded, then stopped for a moment. She was looking around, Ducky noticed, probably trying to see if Senior was among them. Then a man turned the corner and noticed the doctor, hurrying to join their group. Senior took Ziva's hand, and she nodded. "Yes, we are. Do you have any news?"


	41. Chapter 41

_Yay! Tony's out of surgery! On the road to recovery and they are both planning their future. I'm finally sending Gibbs home, as he's been at the hospital since the shooting. He needs it._

 _I want to thank everyone who has posted comments for my story, with special shout-outs to Sue Dooley, DS2010 and sexydepablo. You guys make my day!_

There was only one thing Tony wanted to see when he woke up from the surgery. That was why he was so slow to open his eyes as he roused. First, with one eye open, he saw that, contrary to what he thought, it was a bright sunny morning. That led him to believe that he had been out of it for a while, which wasn't so bad. Then, he opened the next one and moved it around to look for what he wanted to see.

"Good morning, sleepyhead." He heard the voice before he saw the face, but it made him sigh in contentment.

"Just what I was hoping to find when I woke up," Tony replied as Ziva came into view. "What time is it?"

"It is 0900. You've been back in your room since 0400," she said softly. "The surgery took a little longer than they had anticipated. The bullet shifted a few centimeters over the course of the day yesterday. Not surprising, as you were fidgeting a lot in the bed." She reached for a cup of water and brought the straw to his lips. He sucked down on it, emptying it quickly. "It had moved a little closer to your spine, so it was more delicate to perform."

Tony blinked a few times. "And the prognosis?" he almost didn't want to ask.

"I'm sure the doctors will want to run more tests." Then she moved to the end of the bed and tossed back the blanket enough to expose his foot. She ran her fingers up and down the bottom of it, and he pulled it back as quickly as he could to stop her.

"God, Ziva, you know I'm ticklish!" he cried. Then he winced in pain at the sudden movement.

"But it looks as though all went well," she concluded.

After taking a moment to recover, Tony tried to prop himself up more in the bed. Despite the cruelness of Ziva's test, it did let him know there was no permanent damage. That was a good sign. "Okay, so, when can I break out of this joint?"

"Not as soon as you'd like, DiNozzo," Gibbs told him as he entered the room.

"Gibbs! I thought you were going to go home?" Ziva sounded surprised when she heard the boss appear.

"Yeah, I did. Went home, took a cat nap, showered and came back here," the older man replied.

"I'm surprised you even went home. You've been here since I got shot." Tony wasn't all that surprised to see Gibbs here. Heck, he was more surprised the man left for even a coffee break, which Tony noted as he saw the familiar cup in hand. "What, did Abby let you off the leash?"

Gibbs smirked at that. "Actually, she insisted. Once we got word the operation was done, we were all exhausted. She was about ready to crash."

"Which, considering that caffeine is now permanently embedded in her system, is saying something," Tony joked.

"So, we all headed out, save for Ziva and and your dad," Gibbs went on.

"And I insisted Senior go back to his hotel room. He was here when they brought you back into the room and then I told him he needed his rest. He fought me, but in the end, I prevailed," Ziva explained. "Told him I was already under enough stress without having to worry about him as well."

"A guilt trip worked on Senior? I haven't been able to pull that off since the first boarding school he dumped me in," Tony said, intrigued.

"Well, I have a special advantage," she smirked at him. "And I did have to promise that I would call him as soon as you were awake." She went to do just that, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone.

"She's been through alot," Gibbs informed him, though Tony thought it was unnecessary. He'd known her for eight years, known about her life even before that. His father was right, she did the tough-but-vulnerable thing working for her. But then the boss added, "She was rattled when they wheeled you in for the surgery."

"She's got the habit of going for the worst. It was something I sadly saw in Israel," Tony replied.

"I called Rachel here to talk to her when she asked to be alone."

"And how did that go?" Tony knew there could have been several problems with that situation. First, if Ziva wants to be left alone, do it. Even if it's the last thing on Earth you wanted. He'd learned that the hard way.

The other problem came with Kate and Ari. It had taken Tony a little bit of time to work out just who Dr. Cranston was, but when he'd finally worked it out, after she and Gibbs had left for his basement, Tony had tugged Ziva aside and revealed it to her. The woman's mouth fell open and Tony could tell what she was thinking. It had only been a year away from Mossad, at least formally, but the cracks were showing in her emotions. Once, so guarded, and now, unable to hold the darkness at bay.

Gibbs shrugged as they both watched her end the call to Senior and presumably make one to another member of the team, the odds being Abby. "I think it helped, even if I don't know exactly what was said. I think it may have helped both of them, though."

"She's going to carry all of it around forever," Tony observed. "No matter how much happier her life is, it'll never go away."

"If you try your hardest, it may work itself out. But it takes time and patience," Gibb said as he turned back to Tony. "Unfortunately, neither of you has any great patience."

"No, no we don't," Tony agreed with a nod.

"Something you're going to have to work on," came the next comment, "if you're going to be parents."

Before Tony could respond, Ziva rejoined them. "I figured it was best to call Abby to let her know," she informed them, confirming Tony's suspicions. "She said she'll be back up in the afternoon, but she'd spread the word." She came over and took Tony's hand.

Gibbs noticed the gestured and made his departure, telling them he was going to get another cup of coffee.

"So, it looks like this'll be over soon," Tony said. "What's the plan now?"

Ziva laughed. "Did you not say something about getting a bigger bed? That once you were out of here, that would be the first thing you'd do?"

"Oh, right, I did, didn't I?" Tony mused aloud.

Then her smile dimmed. "Unfortunately, I spoke with your doctors. They think it would be best if you did some inpatient rehabilitation."

Tony made a face at that. "No, really, I just...I just wanna go home," he whined. Then he saw her roll her eyes at him. "Look, I'll talk to the doctors, okay? But no promises."

"Fair enough. But think about it this way. It may help you get back on the job faster," she suggested.

He held up his finger. "Still not making any promises."

"Figures," she replied. "The other thing I need to start thinking about is when to go to Israel. The sooner I can, the sooner it will be in my past, and, right now, I want it to be. Plus, I'm not so sure how much longer I can travel while pregnant."

"Look, if you want, it can be the next stop if I do go to rehab, if it'll get done for you faster." If he admitted it to himself, it was something Tony wanted too. Israel had brought them both more pain than anything in the last few years. They were going to be parents, they were looking to the future. He wanted to get that started as soon as possible. "And yeah, the baby is the other thing to consider."

"Well, we can discuss this soon. Right now, let's get you one hundred percent, shall we?"

Right now, that was what Tony wanted too.


	42. Chapter 42

_I had to do a time jump for my next chapters. One of the issues I tend to have in my writing is I write EVERY LITTLE DETAIL and it can cause issues. The time jump allows me to move forward better, and ignite a spark in my writing. So, we skip ahead._

 _I do believe that Ziva's car towards the end of season 10 was a Camaro, but if I'm wrong, oh well! And besides, it's a hot enough car that Tony would want it, despite impending fatherhood._

 _There's a minor character death warning here. Just be on alert._

It was so typical of Junior, his father realized.

Tony had been released from the hospital two days after his surgery and had gone to rehab, as the doctors had suggested. It was a place not far from his apartment in DC, much more convenient for everyone to visit. After he'd gotten settled, Gibbs and the others had helped Ziva collect some of the things she had left in storage before she had left for Israel. She didn't know how much room Tony's place could spare, so she took only those things that she felt she needed while she sorted through other boxes to determine what she no longer needed.

Over the next week or so, even though she wanted to wait until Junior could come home, she began to unpack, tried to fit her life into his place. Everyday, she'd go to see him, help him with his rehabilitation, and then she'd return to Tony's place and put some more stuff away. That was the one thing his father saw in the reasoning of his son's rather spartan place. There was more room for someone else, should the right person come along. And thank God she finally did!

She'd return the next day, tell Tony what she had done and he'd given her permission about what she could pack away if she needed the space. It was frustrating, Senior could tell, that his son wasn't there to welcome her home as he would have wanted to.

This cycle ended up lasting two whole weeks. Then, Tony demanded to be released.

Senior argued with him, Ziva merely rolled her eyes, and Gibbs even tried to order him, but in the end, though with hesitation, Tony was released from the facility. The saving grace that the injuries hadn't been so severe helped Tony out as he got more and more demanding to be let go.

"I still think this is a bad idea, son," Senior had to opine as he was being wheeled out the door.

"Dad, ask Gibbs how long I was back from a bout of Y-pestis," Tony muttered. "And then later that day, I was nearly blown up by a car bomb."

Senior knew enough to know who had planted the bomb, but when he looked to Ziva, she seemed unaffected by the anecdote. She even laughed. "So, Gibbs was right then?"

Tony's only response was to grunt and that told them all the needed to know. "What I really want to do is get back to work," he said after the got him into the front car of Ziva's car. It was the candy apple red Camaro she had purchased before the resginations of her, Tim and Junior, but she commented that she was thinking of going with something more practical as they made their way home. "Now, honey," he argued sweetly. "Let's not be too hasty. You already got rid of one car I really liked."

"Ugh, are you going to bring that up still?" she complained. "I said I was sorry!"

Senior was curious. "What happened with her car?" he asked from the back seat.

"She had a nice Mini but when she decided that a change was needed, she sold it to a friend of McGeek's, even though I had told her that if she ever wanted to sell it to talk to me!" Tony said. "Now, she's talking about getting rid of this sweet ride." He rubbed his head as if he were in physical pain from the thought.

"I need to think differently. We are going to be parents. This is not very workable for a baby," she argued reasonably.

"But we can be the cool parents," he insisted, his smile wide on his face.

Senior couldn't see her from the back driver's seat, but he knew the look she had on her face. "I'm going to argue in my son's defense here, dear. It's not so impractical really."

"Great, now I have to put up with two of you?" Ziva looked in the back, then to the side. Father and son were wearing the same expression. "I'll think about it," she agreed reluctantly, at last in defeat.

"But you're also wrong son. You do need time to heal. I'm sure that they are eager for you to be back at work, but from the sound of it, it's not going to be for a while," Senior replied. That earned him a scowl and a laugh.

As Ziva turned down his street, Tony spoke up again. "You don't have anything planned, do you? The gang's not all going to be there waiting for me to get home with a welcome home banner, a cake, nothing like that?" Senior couldn't believe the word that came out of his son's mouth. He was always up for a party, especially one for him. "It just," he said pointedly, "you know how I am about people at my place. It's my...sanctuary."

He saw his son's point, but Ziva shook her head. "I am well aware at how much you guard your privacy. I swear to you there is nobody waiting for you at your apartment."

At that, Senior suppressed a smile. Ziva certainly had a way with words to just barely tell the truth.

Not unexpectedly, his son's face fell a little, but he recovered quickly from his disappointment. When they finally pulled up to the front of his building, he could tell his son was scanning the area for familiar cars, looking hopeful that she was wrong.

They got into Tony's apartment, helping him as he balanced on the cane he'd been given. Not any surprise again that he had resisted at first, but then when he'd stumbled a bit out of the car, Tony finally agreed to use it, as Ziva reassured him that it wouldn't be for long.

They opened the door and Tony looked around, again looking for his friends. He was leaning on Senior while Ziva moved into the bedroom to drop his bags. It was then that something else caught his attention. "Ziva!" he cried.

Hearing her name called, she ran to out him, even as Senior noticed his son's attention was not in the direction of the bedroom. "I'm here! What's the matter?" she asked very concerned as she joined them.

Tony looked to her, but shook his head. Instead, he pointed to the fishbowl on the side. Where there had been two goldfish swimming around when Ziva and Senior had left this morning to collect him, now only one continued in lazy circles. The other was floating at the top on it's side. "Oh, sorry, not you," he admitted sheepishly. "Did no one feed my fish while I was cooped up in hospitals and facilities?"

Ziva's eyes widened as she looked to Senior. "Tony, I swear, this morning, when I left, the other one was alive," she insisted. "And how do you know it's the one you named after me?" Senior had told her the names of the two fish when he'd finally convinced her to go home the day before he'd been released from the hospital. She been touched, if a bit confused, by him naming one of the goldfish after her. Senior had explained it was because Tony had lost both the women he had so honored. Even of Ziva was still alive, she was not there with him and he wanted something to remember her with.

"I know which one is which," he replied with an annoyed tone. Then he looked back to the bowl and shook his head.

"Maybe she died because she wasn't needed anymore?" Senior suggested. The couple both looked over to him as he came to join them by the bowl. "Come on, Junior. It was obvious why you chose those names. It was to remember two people you had lost. And since one of them is back permanently…" He let his voice trail off.

Without saying a word, Tony moved to the kitchen and grabbed a small bag, returning to scoop up the dead fish. He turned to the bathroom, Ziva behind him. She swung around quickly and signaled Senior, who as, quietly as possible, opened the door and went down the hall. Knocking on a neighbor's door, he signalled to those in that apartment that the coast was clear.

He was impressed with how quiet they all were, as they filed into his son's place. Senior could hear Ziva and Tony talking about the bed that had been purchased, although most of that was whining on his son's part. He'd said a few times he wanted to go with her to pick it out, but Senior saw him laying on it and admitting it felt good.

That was when the crashing sound came from the kitchen. Tony popped up off the bed as quickly as he could to investigate and came out of the bedroom to a crowd. Standing in his living room his colleagues McGee and Delilah, Ellie and Jake, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy and Breena and Vance with his two children had miraculously appeared.

He turned to Ziva. "You really are cold-blooded, David. You killed a goldfish just to sneak everyone into my apartment!"

"Oh, for goodness sake's, the goldfish was alive this morning!" she exclaimed, her frustration with him threatening to explode.

But then he saw this son's smile. He'd never stop teasing her, as much as it annoyed her and the comment was just a continuation of that. "Well, even if you did, I still love you for all of this anyway." And all was right again.


	43. Chapter 43

_There's a bit of fun plotting in this chapter, amongst the women. It gets played out later, for some laughs and some touching scenes. And Vance's idea is coming into play. Again, more on that later._

 _I do want to stress, again, the importance comments are to writers. We do want to hear from our readers. It very often gives us the encouragement to continue writing and posting. So please, drop a line!_

Leon Vance looked around the apartment and smiled. It had been a hard few weeks, with the shooting and worry for DiNozzo, but everything seemed to be getting back to normal. He was on the mend, David was at least back on the same continent and the team was back at near top efficiency.

"He's doing well, Director," an accented voice said to him. He turned and saw Ziva standing next to him.

"He's itching to get back, right?" Vance asked, even though he knew the answer.

"He wanted to get back to work five hours after being shot and with a bullet still in him," she told him. "Do you think the last few weeks have diminished that?"

There was no need to reply. They both knew the facts. And unfortunately, there was one glaring one. "Sadly, he's still not anywhere near one hundred percent. He's using a cane to walk." He sighed. "Then there's the psych eval, marksmanship test...you've been down this road, you know how long it could take."

Now, she sighed. "Yes, but he will be starting out-patient physical therapy tomorrow and from what Senior told me, he was worse off when he injured his knee in college. As for the evaluation, all of us already know he is crazy." She smiled at that. "What more can Dr. Cranston say than that?"

At the mention of the doctor's name, Vance held her gaze for a minute. "And how are you doing on that front?" He held up his hand. "She mentioned it in passing that you've had lunch together."

Ziva had tensed at first, but seemed to relax. "She's a good listener," Ziva opined, "though she'd have to be with her chosen profession. We've actually...talked more about our families than anything else." Then there was a nod, a small acknowledgement. "It is helping."

Vance agreed. "She is good at her job. Rachel's helped me out and my kids. I'm glad to hear she's helping you too, especially because I have an idea I want to float by you. DiNozzo too. Maybe you should come into the office tomorrow and the three of us can have a chat."

Ziva gave him an intrigued look. "He has his appointment early in the morning, but I think we can come by after lunch. Besides, it would be good to see old friends."

From the corner of his eye, Leon saw his daughter approach them. "Good, I'll let my secretary know." Then he turned. "Hey, sweetheart."

Kayla returned a smile. "So, Dad says you and Tony are going to be parents?" she asked innocently.

He saw Ziva breathe in and out. "Yes, we are."

"Well," his daughter replied, with a swell of confidence, "just to let you know, I'm a highly in-demand babysitter, but if you need me, I will drop anyone for you. I'd be thrilled to help." Then she narrowed her eyes. "When are you due?"

Ziva looked thoughtful for a minute. "The doctor said late May or early June."

"And do you know what it is yet? Do you even want to know?"

"No, we don't know yet. I do have an appointment later this week and Tony will finally be able to go. We should be able to learn if it's a boy or girl then."

From the look in Kayla's eye, her father could tell that the wheels were turning. It was one of the times she most reminded him of her mother.

Ziva was about to excuse herself, when Abby came storming over. "Wait, what was that I heard about babysitting? As designated aunt, I get first dibs, hear me?" she told them all, in a pseudo-demanding way.

Kayla raised her eye at that. "Well, I am sorry. I was just trying to be helpful," she retorted haughtily. But then he saw the wink and Abby picked up on it.

"Maybe we should start to hash this out right now?" the scientist said. Abby swept her arm towards Tony's kitchen and the teenager followed.

Leon tutted as he glanced sideways to Ziva. "That is trouble right there," he explained. When Ziva narrowed her eyes, not understanding his meaning, he went on, even as he noticed Ellie Bishop getting up to join them. "My daughter is plotting something. I saw the look in her eyes."

Ziva nodded, getting his drift. "And now with Ellie joining them," she said as Breena Palmer walking in the direction of the other women, "and Breena, I think you're right."

Tony must have noticed the gathering as well and made his way over to Vance and Ziva. "Oh, this is not good. Last time I saw a group like that, it was Jenny, Colonel Mann and ex number three standing in front of Gibbs."

"But there is no man to conspire against like there was with Gibbs," Ziva observed with a hint of humor.

"Don't worry. I have a feeling it won't take long for them to reveal their plot," Leon told them.

"Think you can suss them out, Director?" Tony asked.

Vance turned back to his agent. "You just worry about getting healthy, let me worry about that." Then he brought his full intention on DiNozzo. "You are intending on coming back, right?"

Tony gave him a confused look. "Has anything been said to make you think otherwise? Personally, I want to find the son-of-a-bitch who did this to me. By the way, does the FBI have anything new to report?"

Leon grunted. "Gibbs and I had a chat with Agent Fornell yesterday. While our theory has some weight, there's nothing yet leading us to the cell. And, we are still having the damndest time tracking down Lance Corporal Wren."

"Which seems to only strengthen our case that he's tied to the Brotherhood," Ziva added. Then she sighed heavily, as if reluctant to make a suggestion. "I have been thinking of contacting Orli Elbaz to see if Mossad has learned anything further."

Leon was surprised by that, but kept his poker face on. "Think she could help?"

"It never hurts to ask," was the answer. Then, she excused herself and went to talk to Ducky and Jimmy.

Tony must have noticed the change in his countenance. "Something up, Director?"

"And may I ask why you would ask that?"

"Nothing. It was just the shift in your demeanour when she mentioned Elbaz." Tony replied, "coupled with the fact that Bishop may have slipped up when she stopped in to see me earlier in the week." Then he offered his boss a crooked smile. "Actually, I think it's one of your more brilliant plans, sir."

That made Leon raise his eyebrow once more. "Are you saying I have had some not so brilliant ones?" Tony began to stutter at that, but Vance stopped him. "If you think buttering me up will get you back at your desk any sooner, think again." Then he turned to rejoin the party. "But back to work, now that's a different story," he finished with a smirk.


	44. Chapter 44

_A little tension here, very reflective of their families. Of course Tony may not be ecstatic about the idea of Senior moving closer and Ziva, despite her own relationship with her father, could take issue with that. I needed a little conflict between the two and thought this would be natural._

 _And, after that, a little make-up romance. Just for fun._

The party had ended and, with the help of their friends, the apartment was nearly cleaned up, leaving Ziva and Tony alone, at last. Once the door closed on Abby, who was the last one to leave, naturally, Tony limped into the bedroom and collapsed onto the king-sized bed that had greeted him upon his return.

"You know what, David? You really can pick a mattress," Tony complimented while his eyes were closed.

"Well, thank your father," she replied. When he opened one eye, Ziva went on. "It was a gift from him."

"Must have been a big windfall for him after all. King-sized bed for us, a week at the Adams House for him, thank God. It looks like he's getting back on his feet," Tony said, a little awestruck.

Ziva understood. It had been a while that Tony's father had been financially stable. Tony had once told her he'd had troubles before but always seemed to come back. It looked like he was right. "In fact, he said he had several other proposals lined up, enough that he told me he was looking at condominiums here," she informed him.

That elicited a groan. "He's planning on moving here?"

"He said he wants to be near his grandchild, Tony," she reminded him. "He wants to try and make up for the mistakes he made with you." Then she moved into the bathroom, slipping into her nightgown. "You are his only family left."

"I guess I see his point," Tony replied as he sat up. She noticed he was watching her from the bed and she smiled at that. "It's just, does he have to be here in DC? New York's really not that far away if you think about it."

His whining set off a small pang for Ziva, and without thinking, she retorted, "You should appreciate that your father can still be in your life," as she returned to the bedroom.

She saw the look on Tony's face and felt guilty. She never intended to use her own decimated family against him. Tony must have realized his mistake as well and, at the same time, said to each other, "I'm sorry!"

After a beat, Tony let out a sigh. "Really, I said it without thinking and I didn't want to imply that I don't appreciate my father."

She added on top of him speaking, "I didn't mean to make you feel sorry for me."

It was like a scene from one of Tony's movies, where the couple fight and apologize at the same time. "Well, we're still a little bit of a mess," he said at last with a small chuckle. Then he stood up and took her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest, taking in the sent of his cologne.

"We are never going to be normal, DiNozzo. We carry too much with us for that," she commented. "A smartass cop distant from the one parent he has left and a spy with her own dysfunctional family?"

"Wouldn't that be unemployed spy?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Maybe not for much longer," she smirked back at him. "I have a feeling Vance want me back."

Now it was Tony's turn to use the bathroom. With the toothbrush in his mouth, he asked her, "What makes you think that?"

"Well, he wants to meet with the both of us tomorrow afternoon. I can see it being a offer to rejoin NCIS."

He poked his head back into the bedroom. "He may just want to pump you for information. You did mention Orli."

She shook her head. "No, even before you joined our conversation, he mentioned he wanted to speak to the both of us, actually. I told him you had a therapy appointment in the morning, but we'd come by after lunch." Then she walked back into the bathroom and narrowed her eyes at him. "Is there anything you know?"

Tony jumped when she put her hands on his sides. "No, nothing I know," he replied nervously.

The little laugh in his voice told her he did know something. For a minute, she thought about seducing it out of him, but in the end, she decided to let him off easy. It had been a rough few weeks for the both of them. She went back to the bed and turned down both sides.

Tony returned and sat down, unbuttoning his shirt and removing his jeans. "Did anyone say why Gibbs wasn't here today?" he asked.

Ziva thought about it for a moment, then shrugged her shoulder. "If you haven't noticed, Gibbs isn't much of a joiner to begin with. But I did hear Ducky say he had to go up to Stillwater. Mr. Gibbs had a fall."

Tony turned around on the bed. "Did he say how bad?"

She shook her head. "No, he did not." But the thought of their boss' father made her smile. He was a sweet old man, forthright, but down to earth. "I do hope he is alright."

"Yeah, me too. He was great. Didn't reveal much, though. Thought I'd be able to learn all about Gibbs from him," Tony said.

"Do you really think you would learn all the family secrets?" she chuckled.

"Not all, but some." Then he got under the covers. "When I was in the hospital, I...I asked Gibbs." Ziva could tell he was hesitant to continue, but he did. "I asked him what it was like when he held Kelly for the first time."

She was somewhat surprised Tony would broach that subject at all. Gibbs had never really spoken about his first wife and daughter. The subject was always too painful for him and they all respected him too much to bring it up unless absolutely necessary. "Did he give you an answer?" she asked.

"He said it was the moment his life felt complete," Tony told her. Then he reached over to where she was lying on the bed and placed his hand on her stomach. She covered that with her own. "I don't know why I even asked it. I guess I was just wondering." Then he looked at her. "If he makes the offer, will you take it?"

Resting her head on her hand and bolstering it with her arm, Ziva faced him. She pondered that question. She did want to come back. She didn't regret the resignation itself. It was a statement of solidarity they all felt for Gibbs. She did regret somewhat going back to Israel...and staying so long. But now there were other things to consider. She was going to be a mother in a few months. How could it be possible to be an agent with a child? "I want to, but I can't see how," she admitted at last.

"Maybe Leon's figured that out. And it's not like you'd have to come back full-time. NCIS does have part-time agents, as well as analysts and such," he informed her.

She thought about that for a minute. It would mean being bound to a desk, a concept she hated. She shook her head. "I don't think we should worry about that right now. We'll cross that road when we come to it."

Tony turned his head. He was about to correct her, she could tell, but stopped short. "Actually, that one does make a modicum of sense!"

It was almost automatic how she grabbed her pillow had hit him over the head with it. He used his arms to protect himself, but he couldn't stop laughing as she continued her assault. He rolled to the side, and the next thing Ziva knew, he had hit the floor on the side he was shot.

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry!" she exclaimed as she jumped out of bed and ran to him. He was very still and she moved his arms, examining him for injury. It was quite unexpected, though, when he opened his eyes and grabbed her wrists, pulling her into a kiss. She didn't fight him at all. "I guess you are not injured, yes?"

"Well, I am a little sore," he told her. "Right here." He touched a scar on his shoulder. "And also right here." This time, it was another scar on his abdomen.

Her eyes bright and with a naughty smile on her face, she asked him, "Do you want me to kiss it and make it all better?" However, Ziva didn't wait for an answer.


	45. Chapter 45

Since Jackson's death was the whole impetus for this story, I wanted to throw in a few references here and there before _then. And he may be making an appearance before that as well. He became one of the most wonderful parts of NCIS the years he was alive and it was very sad when Ralph Waite died. I think they honored the character and actor well in the end._

 __ _In reading about the actual agency, it was noted that they do, in fact, have part-time agents and, yeah, I know Ziva would hate doing that, she's the type of person who hates doing absolutely nothing even more. And I realize all this goes against everything she said in her last episode, but since there was so much of her out of character there, I choose to ignore it. #Myheadcannon._

Gibbs saw the surprised looks on McGee's and Bishop's faces when they entered the squadroom the next morning. "Boss, your back! Uh, how's Mr. Gibbs doing?" Tim asked as he settled into his desk.

Gibbs didn't even look up to answer. "As stubborn as ever," came the reply. "Anything new on the Wren case?"

"Well, boss, there hasn't been any further chatter over the weekend. He's gone to ground really well," Ellie answered nervously. "I checked in the morning yesterday with some sources I have at the NSA…"

"And you didn't check last night?" Gibbs yelled back, his voice getting louder.

"I...I'm sorry, but after the party, I must have forgotten…"

"Party?" Was he hearing her right?

"Yeah, Gibbs," McGee came to her defense. "Remember, yesterday Tony came home from the rehab center. Ziva and Senior arranged a little surprise party for him." Then the younger man paused. "I think Tony may have been a little upset you weren't there...but then you...rarely...join us outside of the office."

That made Jethro stop. He had gotten the call from Ed Gantry late the night before about his father landing in the hospital and had hurried up to Stillwater. It had been the third fall in the last month, but the old man had recovered better the other times. This one, though, was more serious and he had spent most of yesterday arguing with his father about coming to live with him. Stubborn old coot, he refused, reminding his son he had a business to run. Gibbs wanted to tell him he was sure the computer geniuses he worked with could rig up something for him to manage the store from down in Virginia, but he knew it would do no good.

"Well, actually, boss, Tony and Ziva are going to be coming in later today. I heard the director mention it to Ziva at the party," Bishop offered, trying to be helpful. "You can see him when he gets here."

Gibbs just glared at her, then got up from his seat and made his way up the stairs to Vance's office. As usual, he didn't wait to be buzzed in by his secretary. Leon was on the phone when Gibbs was standing before his desk.

"Yes, Madame Secretary, I'll convey your good wishes when I see them. Thank you ma'am," he ended the call with. Hanging up the phone, he stood up. "How's your father?"

"He's never going to change, Leon," Gibbs answered succinctly. "Tony and Ziva are going to be in today?"

Vance nodded. "Yes, I have a few things I want to discuss with the both of them. They'll be here after lunch. Tony has a PT appointment, from what Ziva told me."

"He left the rehab already?" Gibbs should have know it, but still didn't quite believe it. Talk about stubborn men!

"You've known Agent DiNozzo longer than I have. Why does that surprise you?"

"Ah," he muttered, "you have a point." Then he looked at his director. "You gonna make that proposal to David today as well?"

Another nod. "And I hope she accepts. We can really use her network of resources to track down the remains of the Brotherhood, especially Wren. Even without Mossad, she still got contacts all over the world." Then he raised his head, as if trying to look down on Gibbs. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

"I don't know." That was the truth. So much had changed since the team had resigned almost a year earlier. Now, it was even more different. There were different dynamics at play and they concerned him.

That was the real reason for Rule Number Twelve. He wasn't against the idea of co-workers being involved, but it presented a whole new set of problems. It had with him and Jenny, certainly and look how that had ended.

"When they get here, bring them up. Sit in on the meeting," Leon told him. "You more than anyone have a right to hear it all out. I do want your opinion in the end."

Gibbs thought about his opinions for the rest of the morning. He went out to grab his cup of coffee at about one and when he returned to the office, he found a scrum in the center of the bullpen. Abby was jumping up and down like a kid at Christmas.

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Look who's back!" she cried excitedly.

There was DiNozzo, leaning on Ziva's arm for support, the rest of the team surrounding him. "Hey boss," he nodded. "How's your dad?"

"Well, unlike you, he knows he need to use a cane, DiNozzo," Jethro replied.

Ducky smiled. "It's no use, I've already duelly chastised the young man, but he doesn't want to listen."

"So, then, not a lot's changed?" There was a small smile on Gibbs' face when he said he that and it was soon mirrored in Tony's face. "If the rest of your are ready to get back to work, Director Vance needs to see the two of them in his office." With that, Gibbs headed upstairs.

After sitting at the table in the director's office for a few minutes, the two men were soon joined by the couple. "Sorry it took so long boss. You know Abby," Tony said by way of an excuse.

"Not a problem. We all know how attached Ms. Sciuto is to everyone," Vance allowed as the two joined them at the conference table. Then he turned his attention to Ziva. Pointing to Tony, he asked, "How'd he fair today?"

Ziva looked to her partner and smirked. "He did...fine. The therapist felt he was pushing himself a little too hard-"

"I just want to get back, sir," Tony interrupted with.

Vance nodded solemnly. "Is there a timeline for his complete recovery," he asked as Tony was about to break in again, "Ziva?"

Again, the look. "There was none specifically laid out, but they think it may be two more months."

Tony slouched in the chair and his head dropped to the back. Gibbs could tell his disappointment. "You have another opinion, DiNozzo?"

Tony looked up and sat straighter. "Yes, sir, I do." Then he collected himself. "Boss, how many times have you gone to Abby or McGee or, really, any of us and been told whatever you were looking for would take, I don't know, an hour? And you always come demand it by half, even more. I don't see this as much different." Then he looked to Ziva. "And even if I'm not physically capable, I do still have my abilities as an investigator."

The look on Leon's face seemed to indicate agreement with what DiNozzo had said. "And you, David, how have you been holding up?"

"I has not been easy, but I have been well, sir," she answered.

"Good enough to come back?"

Gibbs saw the hesitation, if it was just for a moment. "I would love nothing more to back." She stopped there. Taking a deep breath, she went on. "But I cannot see how I can. There are too many dangers in this job for me in my condition," saying that, she took Tony's hand in her own, "and I do not want to jeopardize the baby."

Vance smiled at that. "And I would not want to put you in any situation that would. I do have a proposal for the both of you, though, at least for the time being."

Tony looked back to Ziva, who gave him a smirk. "I told you he had a plan." He grimaced and shrugged his upper body, then turned to the Director. "We're listening."

"DiNozzo, I'll reinstate you on a part-time, work from home, basis," he raised his finger, "pending the psychological evaluation, until you are given the all clear medically. I do appreciate your set of eyes on our investigations." Then Leon looked at Ziva. "Also pending an evaluation by Dr. Cranston, I would like to have you back as well. You've been away from this agency twice and I have not liked it either time. It would be a permanent part-time agent and you will be able to take as much time as you want for maternity leave. You'd work as support for Gibbs' team and I'd like you to concentrate on analysis, given your background. I know you're not one to be tied to a desk, but if you want to come back, I'd love to have you." Then he smiled. "So would the SecNav and the rest of the team."

Tony smiled at Ziva and Gibbs saw the look he got back. "I know they all missed the both of you," he said. "And it would help me out, cause Abby's been on my ass about this since you got released from the hospital."

"Aw, does McGoo miss me too?" Tony said, super-sweetly.

"He's even offered to do all the hook-ups for your place," Gibbs replied.

"Well, sweetcheeks, what do you say? Wanna come back to work under Leroy Jethro Gibbs?" Tony asked.

Jethro didn't need to hear her answer. The look on her face, one that had been fearful, depressed and panicked for the past couple of weeks, beamed with joy. He knew she was afraid of not being welcomed back to NCIS, even with all assurance to the contrary.

Ziva and Tony were, at long last, home.


	46. Chapter 46

_A little more Rachel here, this time with Tony. He's going here from his usually joker self to serious. That's a side of Tony we rarely see. The effect his mother's death on him was profound as it was on his father. In light of what "Family First" said, I have often got the sense that, if Ziva is truly dead (and there's enough hanging thread to tear that apart), I doubt he'd ever marry. He's seen his father try to move on, he's seen Gibbs attempt it without a child, and I don't think he'd put Tali through an emotional ringer like that, not after he went through it himself._

Tony DiNozzo wasn't out of rehab forty-eight hours when Rachel Cranston got the call from him about scheduling the evaluation. She tried to push him off, told him he should concentrate on getting better physically, but he was insistent. "Honestly, Doc, I don't have the patience to wait until I'm a hundred percent to talk to you. I want to get past this part of it, and I want to do it now."

She hesitated a moment more, but agreed at last. They scheduled the appointment for the following afternoon. Once she was off the phone with him, Rachel immediately dialed Gibbs.

"Tony and I are going to do the evaluation tomorrow," she informed him.

After a bit of silence, she heard the intake of breath on the other side of the phone. "Yeah, kind of figured you'd be hearing from him this quickly."

"In your opinion, should he be dealing with it at this time? I like your honest answer," she asked him.

Another pause, then, "I think he's ready to talk to you. I haven't seen anything since the shooting that indicates his having issues with it's aftermath. Are you looking for my blessing, Rachel?"

She smiled. "No, but I did want to hear what you think. Alright, I'll go ahead with the appointment. You can inform the director that we'll be meeting tomorrow?" Gibbs assured her he'd tell Vance immediately.

The next afternoon, at one o'clock on the mark, Tony DiNozzo, leaning on a cane on one side and Ziva David on the other, appeared at her office. "It's good to see you, Dr. Cranston," Ziva greeted her.

Rachel returned the sentiment. "Nice to see you too, Ziva. So, was this supposed to be a tofer?" she asked Tony.

"Ah, no. Unlike some people, I can wait. Besides, I have some arrangements to make, so I'm just here as his driver. You'll give me a call when you're finished?" Ziva asked Tony.

"Yeah, will do," he said as he gave her a quick kiss. Rachel help Tony into her private office as Ziva left.

He hobbled over to the couch. "Driver, jeez. Every time I get in the car with her, I fear for my life."

Rachel found that intriguing. "How so?"

"Well, she's a terror on the road. First time I was in a vehicle with her, she nearly killed McGee and me on the way back from a crime scene. Turns out, the crazy driving came from her mother. At least, that's what Vance told me Eli corrected him on once." Then he looked to Rachel. "Good opening for you there?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "As good as any." Then she reached behind her and grabbed a notepad. "So, Tony, how have you been doing? Last time I saw you, you threw me and everyone else out of your room to talk to her. Have you had that talk?"

Tony smiled because he knew she knew the answer to that question already. But, he decided to humor her, it seemed. "Many times over, actually. You know, she's really a neurotic mess under that harden exterior. She was worried how I'd take the news she was pregnant, how I'd deal with her moving in, how I really felt about her, if I'd recover." He sighed. "She's been worried about a lot more than I've ever seen her worry."

"Well, it must have been a shock to her, finding out about the pregnancy. From what I've heard from Gibbs and Vance, it looked like she was gone permanently, then, all of a sudden, she shows up on Gibbs' doorstep. That was quickly followed by learning that you'd been seriously injured in the line of duty, in a coma, and I can see her fear kicking into overdrive, even without my degrees."

"You have a point there," Tony agreed. "But, I've told her time after time that I'm happy, ecstatic, that she's back, that we're going to be parents. For the last few years," he paused, as he thought through what he wanted to say, "I've noticed what has been missing from my life. I mean, up until last week I had a twin bed in my apartment."

"A twin bed?" That was interesting.

He nodded. "Bet Kate would be shocked to hear that." Rachel smiled at that. Knowing her sister, she probably won't believe it even if she saw it. "I figured when I found The One, capital T, capital O, then I'd get a bigger bed. And then, about a year ago, I seriously looked at Ziva like that."

She heard the hesitation in him. "What happened?"

He gulped when he continued. "Her father," he said. "He came to town, which caused more trouble than usual, and then he was killed. It...she was destroyed, even though their relationship was about to turn arresting, literally."

"The attack on the Director's house," Rachel supplied.

Another nod. "After that, she was driven by just vengeance, to the point she was excluding me."

"Why do you think she did that?"

"To not horrify me with that side of her. To protect me from any retribution from her mission. Which, I did get injured because of, eventually. Not bad, but still." Tony's stare was far off when he spoke again. "She told me when she visited me at the rehab center a week ago, when we had another one of these talks, that she did that then because she couldn't bear the thought of losing me, like she'd lost all of her family. And I get that, I do. I mean, I see the same thing in my dad."

"How has he been doing through all this? I heard how, when he got to the hospital, he misread the situation and was about to blow up at everyone there."

"My dad, he's gone through some of the same feelings, I think. He was never very keen on my career but he told me in the hospital that...he was afraid I'd get myself killed. He'd lose the last bit of my mother he still had," Tony explained.

"It was that hard on him, her death?"

"I came home from my first day of school after the funeral and there wasn't a picture of her in the house, so that tells you how bad he took it." He smiled, then, crookedly, as if he had just made a connection. "Went on to get married three more times. None of them lasted. Hell, I only learned about divorce number two and remarriage and divorce number three three years ago." He looked over to her. "We didn't talk all that much for a long time."

"Sounds familiar," Rachel commented.

"And it only took me this long to realize it myself," he laughed. "Don't tell Gibbs, though. They're on better terms than they were when they first met, but not yet buddy/buddy."

"I promise, I won't say a word," she assured him. Then she moved on. "It must have been tough on you, losing your mother when you were young."

"Understatement there, Doc," he commented with some sarcasm. "She was...well, not to go all 'Norman Bates' on you, but she was my best friend. We both loved the movies and it became the way I felt closest to her in the years after she died. She taught me to love all those old classics, like _Casablanca_ and _Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid_. After she died, I tried to get Dad to go with me, but he only went once or twice and then conveniently had an excuse to not go when I would ask again. And, I guess, that's where I started to lose him, too."

"And now?"

"Well, now, we've worked out a lot of our issues. He's going to be a grandfather, which is sort of horrifying to me. Heck, he even sat down with Ziva and I for a movie last night. _National Lampoon's Animal House_ , which Ziva had never seen. I'm schooling her in all things movies, been helping her out there for a while. Want her to be ready when the kid gets older, because he or she is going to also have my mother's love of them. That's something I want to pass down, an heirloom, if you will."

"So more big changes. Do you know what it is yet?"

He was beaming when he answered that question. "Tomorrow is the doctor's appointment when we find out. And it's going to be quickly followed by a trip to Israel."

"For what?"

"Ziva, getting closure, I guess you could say. She has things that need to be taken care of over there and, because of the pregnancy, wants to get them done before she can't fly any more. So, by Saturday morning," he picked up the cane and stomped in on the floor, "I'll be limping around Tel Aviv and elsewhere for about a week. We've left it open-ended, actually. A little babymoon, if you like."

"Well, it sounds to me like you're all set. Have you had any issues as a result of the shooting? Lack of sleep, nightmares, that sort of thing?"

Tony shook his head. "No, actually, I've been sleeping like a baby, especially the last few nights." There was that grin again, the one Kate described as 'teenaged boy with a dirty magazine.' "Could be the company in the bed."

Rachel returned the look. It certainly seemed to be helping. It seemed that Ziva was helping him in ways far beyond anything like warming the side of his bed. They were both helping each other, really, by being together.


	47. Chapter 47

_Lots of fluffiness here. And I'm not just talking about Senior's present. I did battle with myself if they'd reveal the sex of the baby, but then I figured what Tony says to Ziva here is right._

 _And guess how long it's going to take for someone on the team to learn about the baby. Go on, guess, because, despite Tony's threat, it will get out. Also, it seems to be popular opinion (since it's never been stated in the show, to the best of my knowledge) the name of Tony's mother, so I'm going with it as well._

 _Note within a note. I myself am Italian-American and in my family, we call tomato sauce "gravy". And we generally don't have hard and fast recipes we follow._

Anthony DiNozzo Senior was preparing dinner for Tony and Ziva, awaiting their return from Ziva's doctor's appointment. He had been eager to go with them, but thought it was something for them to keep to themselves, at least for a little bit. So, he contented himself by making a pot of meat sauce, his grandmother's recipe, well, guideline more than anything else. At one time, it had been a family secret, but as he and his brother grew older, Nonna had taught them, if not the exact recipe, than at least the basics of a great gravy. He remembered a time he had promised Tony to teach it to him. At least with that, his son would never starve. But those went by the wayside in the years after his wife's death.

He had been so eager to learn if it would be a grandson or granddaughter that, when he was in New York City a week ago, before he was to return to DC for Junior's release, he went into FAO Schwartz and bought both a blue and a pink teddy bear. He figured that the incorrect one could be donated to Toys for Tots during the holiday season. He had brought the bears with him when he got to the apartment, intending on telling them to pick the one for the baby.

He couldn't help it. This was something he never thought he'd get the chance to do, be a grandfather. Between Tony's eye that wandered for so long and his severe commitment phobia but mainly because of the pitiful relationship the two had, it seemed it would be an unrealized dream. But now, his son was going to be a father and he couldn't be happier by that fact.

Senior heard the lock on the door turn and headed into the living room, awaiting their entrance. He was quite happy to see Tony moving better, even if it hadn't even been a week since his release. He'd been going to the therapist and working out at night at home with Ziva, who was just as tough on him. It seemed to all be working. Finally, he was face to face with his son and the younger man's...partner, he figured they were calling it for now. "So, how did the appointment go?" he asked with the door barely closed.

Tony gave him a funny look. "How'd you get in here?" he ask, giving him a sideways glance.

It was Ziva who answered. "I gave him a key, Tony. I was rather surprised he didn't have one already."

"Sorry, son, I thought you knew about it." He fished in his pocket and was ready to hand over the key.

But then Tony sniffed the air. "Is that…?"

"Yes, it is. I thought I'd make you a pot of it and we could have a family dinner," Senior confirmed.

"What is it?" Ziva asked as all three walked into the kitchen. It seemed she had caught a waft of the scent herself.

"My dad's cooking skills are, shall we say, limited," Tony began, "but he can make one thing really well." Tony picked up the spoon and stirred the pot, bringing a small taste of the red sauce to his mouth. Senior smiled with pride when Tony closed his eyes, obviously enjoying the taste. "It was a recipe his grandmother taught him."

"Not really a recipe. In truth, Italians don't follow strict instructions when cooking. But my grandmother did teach me the proper ingredients for a pot of meat gravy. From there, it all goes on taste," Senior told her, as he took the spoon from his son and scoped up some for Ziva to try. It was uncanny how she exhibited the same expression on her face that had just been on Junior's.

"Oh, that is heavenly!" she exclaimed. "Is it a secret recipe known only to the DiNozzo family?"

He smiled at her. "My dear, I have told you, you are family. As such, I would gladly teach you all the correct ingredients to use."

Tony's eyes had been closed during the whole exchange, but then they opened. "It's also a bribe, right?" That made the older man wear a guilty expression. "I knew it, I knew there was a price for this. Come on, dad, what do you want?"

Wordless, Senior turned back to the living room, where the bag with the two teddy bears had been left when he got there. Pulling them out, he asked, "Can you tell me which of these will be donated at the holidays?"

Ziva threw a smirk to Tony, who did look a little peeved. He looked back at her, a question obviously running across his face. "I know what we decided, but with us going to Israel tomorrow, we will be confronted with the same questions from my aunts. So, I do not see the harm in telling our family," Ziva reminded him.

"Don't let Abby hear you say that or she'll be majorly insulted," he told her. But he looked at his father. Then he and Ziva joined Senior at the piano. He picked up the blue bear and Senior's breath caught in his throat. But then Tony said, "Sorry, little guy, but I'm sure you'll make someone very happy."

The smile Senior now wore felt like it would be etched on his face forever. "A girl?" He threw his arms around the both of them and they all shared the embrace.

When they broke apart, Tony gave him a pointed look. "Now, Dad, this is important. You are not allowed to tell anyone, got that, _anyone_! I don't care if Gibbs stares you into next week, I don't care if Abby zonks you out with her latest fungal discovery, I don't care if McGee hardwires you into the NCIS mainframe, or Ducky and Jimmy hint they'll give to a free autopsy, _do not tell anyone_!"

Ziva was laughing now, even though she had been trying to look as menacing as his son had just been. Tony's expression almost begged her to back him up, but the big, bad spy was completely lost.

For his part, Senior tried to give off the impression that he was intimidated by his son's threats. "Message received, loud and clear, sir," he said, throwing in a little salute along with it. "Now, what do you saw we enjoy this meal I slaved over?"

They talked animatedly during the meal, with the grandfather to be offering to buy the baby's crib. He was going to spoil his little princess, there was no question, so he figured he's start right now.

"Thanks, Dad, but we have no room to put anything like the in here!" he son said.

"When we return from Israel, the next goal is to find another place," Ziva added. Then she looked to Tony. "Then we can discuss what we need for the baby."

That gave Senior a thought. "Since you now know it's a girl, have you thought about names? I know in the Jewish tradition, it is common to name children after the deceased."

Now it was Ziva mentally throwing questions at Tony. "Look, if you don't mind, I don't. Besides, he's persistent and he'll nag us until the day she's born."

Ziva nodded and her voice grew heavy with emotion. "It is true that children are often named for those who passed on. Therefore we believe we have found her name."

"Her name is going to be Tali Elizabeth," Tony said.

Senior nodded, understanding. It was all he could do, truth be told. Finally, he found the words to say. "For your sister," Ziva nodded, "and your mother", Tony acknowledged. That was when he noticed the tear slip down his son's cheek. The years since her death had been very often so difficult, neither of them could even utter her name. In fact, this was the first time he had heard his son say 'Elizabeth' in over fifteen years.

He placed one of his hands over Tony's and the other over Ziva's as he addressed her. "I may not have known your sister, but I know my wife and she...she would be so proud right now."

It seemed the emotions were overtaking her as well. "My sister would have been as well." Then, she rose. "I...I need to go wash my face. The mascara is running into my eyes."

Once she was gone, Senior reached into his pocket. "The bear wasn't the only reason I was up in New York, son." He pulled out a ring box. "And, in light of your announcement, I think this is an appropriate time to give this to you."

He opened the box. "The last time I saw this was on Mom's finger...in the hospital," he said at last.

"Look, I'm not trying to rush you, but when the time is right, you give that to her. And you'll know when that it."

Tony nodded as he stuffed the box into his pocket before Ziva returned. "I will do...do that." Then he wiped his nose on a napkin. Finally getting a handle on himself, he asked Senior, "Really, what do you think Mom would say about having an ninja as the mother of her granddaughter?"


	48. Chapter 48

_A reappearance of the duo of Malachi and Liat. I did like the two of them from "Enemies Foreign/Domestic" and thought a little showdown was in order. And it wouldn't be a trip to Israel for Tony without a trip to Mossad._

 __ _A note on "casting": For the role of Aunt Nettie, I wanted a Jewish actress who wasn't sterotypically so. So after going through an IMDB list, I was surprised to find a name on it, but she is completely perfect for the role, especially in light of her comment about Senior, which is making Tony and Ziva nervous. The role of Aunt Nettie will be played by Jill St. John, aka Mrs. Robert Wagner._

When Ziva planned for this trip to Israel, it was to be there for as little time as possible. But, like many plans, those changed. And it had been Tony who had insisted.

This was his third trip to the land of her birth. The first one had been unpleasant, to say the least, considering the circumstances and the fact he was confronted by her father. The next time had been chasing after her, which meant there was no time for anything really, especially sightseeing. But, since she swore this would be the last time she was going to set foot in the country, they decided to take a little more time than necessary.

After taking a day to recover from the jetlag, they toured all through Tel Aviv and the Haifa coast. The third day, though, had been all business. She had been with the family lawyer for a good part of it, going over all the paperwork and signing her name a thousand times. In the end, just about every piece of property owned by her father, and inherited by her, was gone.

When they left the office, Tony turned to her. "I was looking through some of that stuff. I didn't see anything about the olive grove. For someone who isn't planning on coming back, you're still keeping one property?"

"I was advised to keep one and I chose the orchard. It has been in my family for nearly a century and, quite honestly, it is the only one that still holds good memories," she explained.

"There was a little bit of angst there, but yeah," he agreed, touching her belly, "there was that one good one." Then he leaned in for a kiss, which she obliged.

"And now," Ziva said as she broke away, "we have to face my aunts."

"And cousins too?" Tony questioned as he made a face. "Are there some relatives left for me to start off bad with?"

She laughed at that. "No, not many others. Aunt Nettie never married, so often, if my father needed to bring someone along for a social event, she would go with him. Aunt Riva is widowed and her son is stationed near the Red Sea and Egypt. I checked before we left Washington, he will be there for the duration of our time here."

"You alerted them you would be here?" he asked.

"Yes, I did," she answered. "If I had not, you would surely not have left here alive," Ziva informed him, half-joking. "Aunt Nettie is my father's oldest sister and was able to wrestle him to the ground until he was in his twenties."

"Ah, so warrior women actually does run in your family," he snarked as they were about to cross the street.

Then, suddenly, their way was blocked by a black SUV. The front doors opened and she could not stop the sneer from crossing her face. "Malachi, Liat, how did you know…?"

"Your American passport was flagged at Ben Gurion," Liat answered, as if addressing a child.

"Oh, great!" Tony huffed. "Does this mean we win a trip to Mossad headquarters again? I swear, I can't leave this country without stopping over and visiting at least once!"

"It is good to see you too, Tony," Malachi said, a semi-smile on his face.

"And I can see why you have chosen to remain in the United States," Liat commented, a shake of her chin to Ziva's stomach.

All of a sudden, she became protective of her daughter. "What do they want from me? I have no affiliation with Mossad anymore!"

"But have you gone back to NCIS?" Liat asked, a slight movement upward of her right eyebrow.

"To answer your question, in fact she will be," Tony informed the female Mossad officer. He hadn't liked her much when they had met in DC three years ago and she was really rubbing him the wrong way now.

"And if you try anything, Officer Tuvia, I will have my director on the phone in an instant," Ziva threatened. "And if he hears of it, be assured, Special Agent Gibbs will hear it too."

Malachi actually flinched at that and sent his partner a warning in Hebrew. "Ziva," he tried to reason, "we were only asked to collect you at the behest of Director Elbaz. We have intel for you on a Corporal Wren."

"Then she should have come herself for me," Ziva replied quickly, not really hearing what he had said or seeing the look Tony flashed her. "Now, tell your director that I have dinner plans with my family. If Director Elbaz wishes to speak to me, she can call me herself."

She headed around the SUV as her heard Tony say, "Even in her condition, do you really want to mess with her?" Then he followed after her.

As they made their way to Nettie's flat, Ziva's ire calmed down. She just could not believe the gall of Orli Elbaz, demanding she appear before her. But then she rethought the whole incident. "Orli has information on Wren, is that what Malachi said?"

"Yeah, he did," Tony answered quietly. It pained her that she had refused the trip to headquarters so quickly. Tony seemed to read her mind. "Hey, if given the choice, I'd pick dinner with the folks than tea with Orli."

"I am sorry," she said to him. "In the morning, I will call her, apologize for my behavior. We can meet with her when we come back from Jerusalem."

He smiled at her, not the jerky, jokey one, but one that bespoke his love and respect for her. "Now, can we get this dinner over with? I'm nervous enough as it is."

She nodded and rang the bell. "Yes?" a voice asked through the intercom. Ziva identified herself and they were buzzed in. Walking to her front door, she looked to Tony. "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

As he finished speaking, the door opened. "Zivelah, you made it!" Her aunt pulled her in and they embraced. "I was concerned you would be late, but here you are!" Then she looked over at Tony who was still outside the apartment. "And this must be the Italian boy! Come, come." She stood back and examined him, then looked to Ziva, a mock whisper in her voice. "I see why you went back!"

That was when Ziva realized, in her fussing over their arrival, it had not hit Nettie that Ziva herself was pregnant. It must have occurred to Tony too, as Ziva whispered a countdown in Hebrew. Then, they got a reaction.

"Ziva, tell me my eyes are worse than I thought," her aunt demanded of her.

She shook her head. "No, _Doda,_ they are not." Then she waited for the explosion. But there was not much of one.

"I wish your father were here to see this," she said, much more subtly than Ziva would have thought. "A baby! A blessing, to be sure."

"Yeah, I'm not entirely sure what Director David would say to this and, no offense, having been on an opposite side from him…" That was when Ziva's hand flew out from her side. "Ow!"

But Nettie smiled. "You underestimate my brother, young man. He wished for grandchildren, I can assure you of that. I thought that Ari would marry that doctor, but…" She shook her head. "No, Eli even relayed a conversation he had with an associate in the States. He told the man he wanted his grandchildren to not have to follow in his path, that there was too much pain there. He wanted a better life for the future of his family."

Much like dinner had been with Senior a few days ago, the meal with her aunt had a few ups and downs. Her sister had to back out at the last minute, so she would not be joining them. Nettie was disappointed when she learned that, no, Tony was not Jewish, but they both reassured her the baby would be raised as such. "That is of no matter to me, child. Raise your baby as a good person, nothing more." Then she nodded back to Ziva. "Do you know what you are having?"

Ziva looked to Tony, allowing him to inform her aunt. "We learned just before we left Washington that it's a girl," he responded solemnly.

"Her name will be Tali Elizabeth," Ziva concluded. "Elizabeth was Tony's mother's name."

"She is gone?" Nettie asked kindly. When Tony confirmed it, she continued. "So there is no other family besides Riva and I?"

"My father's still alive," Tony said.

Her face brightened. "Yes, now I remember Zivelah mentioning you were a junior. Then your father, he is still alive?"

"Yes, ma'am, he is", Tony repeated. "Plus we are very close to our colleagues that they'll also be family to us."

"Well, then, I look forward to meeting your family, Ziva, seeing your new life in America," Nettie said finally. "And I look forward to meeting your father, Tony."

As the woman bustled around the kitchen, cleaning up from the meal, Ziva looked to Tony, horror on her face. That was a meeting that she did not look forward to.


	49. Chapter 49

_The next several chapters went through a lot of rewriting and rearranging. I knew what I wanted to say, but it was not smooth at all. Thankfully, I got out of the jams._

 _Ellie's getting sucked into some baby craziness, and the ringleader isn't who you'd expect. I had this in the back of my mind since I started the story. And, there will be consequences for her interference._

Ellie Bishop was scrolling through information of the plasma Monday morning. They had gathered more intelligence in the last few days and Ellie wanted to be ready to do debriefings with Tony and Ziva when they returned from their trip. No one was really sure when that would be, but it was best to be prepared.

It was then the phone on her desk rang. She went over and picked it up. "Special Agent Bishop," she answered.

"Ellie, hi, it's Breena Palmer," the voice at the other end said.

"Oh, hi," she said, a bit mystified as to why Palmer's wife was calling her. While she was friendly with the couple, she had rarely hung out after hours with them.

So the next thing said further mystified her. "I was wondering if you can meet me for lunch today?"

Ellie looked around. There was no one else in the squad room. Gibbs and McGee were out tracking down a lead, the director was taking a conference call in MTAC and Tony and Ziva were, of course, not even on the continent.

"Well, I really have a lot of work to sift through," Ellie began, as she looked at a clock. "I guess I do need to eat some lunch."

"Great!" Breena replied. "We need to have a planning session."

"A planning session?" Ellie didn't know what the other woman was talking about.

"Remember at the party, Kayla mentioned about getting a baby shower together for Ziva? Well, I offered to run point on bringing it all together. I thought that since you worked with her, you could help me out, feed me anything you know about the baby, stuff like that." That was when she finally came up for air. "There's only so much Jimmy will divulge to me, or even ask about in the first place."

Ellie bit her lip, her default nervous habit. She didn't know Ziva that well, but she had a feeling that the mother-to-be wasn't exactly the baby shower type. But there were whispers of begging and Ellie remembering the other woman's tragic turn with adoption and she caved. "Sure, I think I can swing lunch." Then Ellie thought of something. "I'll let Abby know about it. I'm sure she's going to want to join us too.

"Oh, well, um, I spoke to her already and she told me she couldn't get away from her lab. So, uh, I'll see you at, say, 11:30?" They agreed on a cafe in Georgetown and hung up, but Ellie was left with a funny feeling in her gut when she had mentioned Abby. That was when the elevator pinged and Gibbs and Tim returned.

McGee must have seen the nervous look on her face. "Hey, you find out something?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I just got a feeling like I'm about to get myself into trouble but at the same time, I can't back out now, say no."

When lunchtime arrived, Ellie headed out to the restaurant they were meeting at. Since it was still the spring, she knew Kayla Vance wouldn't be there, but she was somewhat surprised to see Diane Sterling sitting at the table already with Breena.

The blonde noticed her and waved her over, which she did, with some caution. "Um, hi, Mrs. Sterling."

"Oh, hello, ah," Diane was hunting for her name.

"Ellie Bishop, ma'am." It was a little annoying the other woman could not remember her name, especially since she had rescued her daughter Emily from a kidnapper.

"Ellie, right! I'm sorry, it must have slipped my mind," one of the former Mrs. Jethro Gibbs' said.

Breena turned to Ellie as she took her seat. With an all-too-bright smile on her face, she explained, "Mrs. Sterling heard about our plans from Agent Fornell, who heard them from Tim, who was told by Delilah."

"And I want to help you plan this! Well, Ziva and Tony...I know Jethro thinks the world of them and they have been so helpful in the past," Diane went on.

Ellie had serious doubts. From what she had caught in discussions about the many wives of Gibbs, Diane was the more annoying of the three, it seemed. And she knew her boss was none too pleased to know that her and Agent Fornell were back together, as he didn't seem to want to be swept up in their drama. It was a sentiment that was shared by their daughter, according to the girl herself.

But, Ellie put a smile on her face. "That is so nice of you, Mrs. Sterling," she said.

"Oh, call me Diane. Now," Diane pulled out a large folder with numerous sheets of paper in it as she went on. "We have a lot of plans to make and I don't even know how much time we have! So, and I've spoken to Kayla and Chucky's girlfriend, I've divided up tasks for each of us. Ellie, since you seem to be the one to see them the most, you have the most important task. You have to find out if they want to know the gender and report back to me. All purchases hinge on that information."

"Uh, ma'am, what about Abby Sciuto? She's the one that's the closest to the both of them. When Kayla brought it up a the party, it looked like Abby would be the one planning and throwing it. Shouldn't we include her as well?" Ellie asked.

"Oh, I'm sure that Abby could throw another shower for her. But, well, she has eccentric tastes that don't seem conducive to a baby shower," Diane replied, rather dismissively. "Now, on to other tasks."

It went on like this for another hour when Ellie finally got the chance to look at a clock. "Oh, no, I've got to get back to work!" She looked at Diane, giving her a look that begged she be released from the lunch. "I have a meeting to get to. With Gibbs. And I'm sure you know his feelings on tardiness," She began to gather her things.

"Alright," Diane said. "But remember, get that information as soon as you can!" she called after Ellie as the NCIS agent scampered away, an apologetic look on her face for poor Breena.

Twenty minutes later, Ellie was back at the office, panting from the speed she was going to get there. She dropped her things on her desk not noticing anything until she heard Tim's voice. "Ellie, what's the matter?"

Ellie caught her breath at last. "I was...having lunch with Breena when I noticed the time and I practically ran here. Where is Gibbs?"

The look he gave her was like it should be a no-brainer. "Coffee run. He and the director just got out of a conference call and by the way he left, he was none too pleased with how it went."

"Who was it with?"

Tim shrugged. "I didn't have enough clearance for it myself. But whatever it was, in made Gibbs slam his draw hard enough to rattle this side of the room."

Ellie nodded, only half-listening to her partner. Ever since lunch, she had an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, remembering Diane's demand that she learn if they were going to know if it was a boy or a girl. She went ahead, tentatively questioning Tim. "Do you know if Tony and Ziva going to have a sonogram done to find out the gender of the baby?"

Tim looked thoughtful for a minute. "I think Abby may have mentioned something about it, that they actually had one done before they left for Israel."

"They did?" Since Ellie wasn't in the loop for information like that, she wanted to take it as a sign that she was the wrong person to garner that information. But she had a feeling that Diane Sterling was not going to let her off the hook so easily.

Tim smiled. "Yeah, but I don't think they even need one. We all know it's going to be a girl, like Director Vance said."

"Director Vance?"

"Oh, I do not think you were at the hospital yet," Tim continued. "When Tony was still critical, I overheard Director Vance comment on the pregnancy, and he seems to hope it's a girl, given how Tony used to be with women."

Ellie knew what she meant. He still had a bit of an off-color sense of humor, but it was apparently nothing like it was in his heyday. "Yeah, I could see him with a girl. She'd be his little princess," she added.

"And be locked in an ivory tower," McGee concluded as the two shared a laugh.

Then Ellie took another cautious step. "What do you think it is?"

Tim had a twinkle in his eyes, one that usually came out when he was about to get Tony back for something the other man had done to him. "I believe that Vance is right," he echoed finally, "and it will be a girl."

Ellie made a mental note of that before going on with her assignment. "Well, let's get you caught up on everything, shall we?" And with that, the got to work.


	50. Chapter 50

_Pure fluff. Pure, unadulterated, get-a-mouthful-of-cavities fluff. And Tony channeling Abby, for good measure._

 _And a toda_ _to Lipush for her help with the Hebrew translation._

Tony had to admit, he was coming to love Israel. He figured third time was the charm, especially with a tour guide like Ziva. They had spent the better part of a day on the beach in Tel Aviv before heading to Jerusalem. There, they spent a day and a half cleaning out anything personal she wanted to hold onto from a flat her father had owned. Among them was a picture of her with her father and siblings when they were younger. "When all of us were still innocent," she remarked. Tony had his doubts about Ari, but he kept them to himself.

They stopped by the cemetery and visited the family graves. Ziva had buried her father next to Tali and her mother, wanting them all together in death. She remained stoic while they stood there, but he held her in his arms when she needed it. When she laid her head on his shoulder, she remarked, "Nettie told me before we left, she knew Eli was right about you."

For some reason, that concerned Tony. It seemed the late Mossad director had two opinions of him and they were vastly different. "How was your father right about me?"

"That you do sometimes exhibit characteristics beyond what you typically show the world. You have courage and determination. My father came to admire those about you, she said," Ziva explained.

"Well, I think I have changed over the last few years," he remarked.

But then she smirked. "And you do seem, at times, whiney and annoying, which were not some of your finer qualities."

"Okay, maybe I haven't." He gently kissed her cheek.

"I am ready to leave this place," she said, looking back at the grave one last time. They were headed to the olive orchard for the evening, then they had an appointment at Mossad headquarters with Orli. Ziva had called and had apologized, but not without some strong words, which with his limited knowledge of Hebrew, he didn't know exactly. But from the look on Ziva's face when she ended the call, they weren't particularly nice.

They reached the grove before nightfall, stopping off for something to cook for dinner. As they ate, Tony looked at her, a long stare that she caught. "Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he said. He looked around then back at her. "It's just, I can still sense the ghosts here. You know, the ones that were here the last time."

"There have been ghosts here since I was a child," she told him. She added an insistent look to her words. "No, really, I remember, as a child, seeing something...spectral. Ari laughed at me, thought I was a...frightened cat," she paused, as if trying to determine if she had used the correct phrase, "but I know it was there. I can't tell you what it was, but there was something."

"You've always believed in ghosts, huh?" He remembered their little adventure on the black ops ship, that she swore there was something there. But he smiled at her. "You know the way to combat ghosts?"

"Oh, so you believe they exist now, do you?" she asked playfully.

"I won't deny that it's not possible. There's been enough research done to make me a believer." he said as he took her hand. "But there is a way to make them go away forever."

"And what is that?" she asked.

"Make good memories," he stated. "I think we have a good start to that." He smiled and gestured to their daughter, growing inside her. "But, I think we need one last thing to cinch it."

Since his father had given him the ring box the night before their flight, Tony hadn't let it far out of his reach. He was looking for the right moment and the right words. When he noted that she was going to be keeping this piece of her heritage, and it alone, he figured it was the right time. Now, all he needed were the right words.

A whole spate of romantic movie proposals had run through his brain since he had first seen his mother's ring after all these decades. However, he dismissed all of them. They were more often too mushy for Ziva. She was direct, almost painfully so. He figured that was the way to go. But then, closing his fingers around the box in his pocket with his other hand, he had another idea, a compromise between the two in a way.

"My parents met at the movies," he began. At that, Ziva gave him a confused look, but he gestured to her to let him continue, which she did. "My mom loved them and, even when she was sick, she still took me to them for as long as possible. Well, one of the last times we went, she told me about this time she and Dad went together. He was just getting his start in business and they went out to celebrate. They go into the theaters and the movie, 'A Man for All Seasons', begins."

Ziva gave him a strange look. "The one about Sir Thomas More and Henry VIII?"

His face lit up. "You know that movie! Great, we'll have to watch it together one time." He thought it was the first time she got him movie references. "Anyway, about three-quarters of the way through, Mom realized at last that there was no one else in the theater with them and questioned Dad about it. Naturally, he danced around a straight answer then shushed her and turned back to the movie. As the film was ending, he pulled this box out of his pocket, opened it and, without her noticing, because she was paying all her attention to the movie, slipped something onto her finger." As Tony described the scene, he began to reenact it almost the exact way it had happened all those years ago. The only thing he was probably not going to be able to do was the actual stealth placement on Ziva's finger.

When the box came out, Ziva's eyes went wide. She was about to speak, when he stopped her. He knew if he stopped, he'd probably mess up what he was about to say. He also knew he should be down on one knee, but he figured he would get a pass because of his injuries. "My great-grandmother, the one that taught Dad the recipe, she went with him to pick out this ring. And when my mom finally realized what he had done in the theater, well, when she told me, Mom recreated it, slipping it off, giving it to me and letting me replace it." He smiled at Ziva's expression. "You know, I think she had a look on her face just like you do now." His voice grew thick. "Dad said he's not trying to rush us and I know there's a million things on our plate as it is. In fact, one of the reasons I'm giving it to you now is, I'm scared I'm going to lose it, I've had it in my pocket since Dad gave it to me and I'd honestly feel more comfortable knowing it was on your finger and not in my pocket. Another benefit of you wearing it is when we pay that visit to Mossad tomorrow, it's send them a message, at least I hope it will." It was a rambling Abby would be proud of, only stopped when Ziva took the sides of his head in her hands and guided his lips to her.

When they finally broke away from each other, Tony gulped before he spoke again. "Is that a yes?"

" _Ken, Ahuv sheli, ani enase lecha,_ " she said tenderly. Then, in English, she translated. "It means 'yes, my heart, I will marry you."

Tony let out a melodramatic deep breath, then looked down at her left finger. He took the ring out of the box and pushed it up. When it reached its destination, he brought the hand to his lips and kissed it. " _Grazie mille, il mio amore. E avrete sempre il mio cuore._ " Then Tony looked at her and grinned. "I guess when we get back, we'll have to tell the team."

"Let's not. Let's see if they notice anything," Ziva replied.

"Want to play a little game, eh?" Tony liked the idea. He had the well-deserved reputation of a braggart, so he wanted to see himself go against everyone's preconceived notions about him. Plus, he knew Ziva would have no problem keeping a secret. She'd held on to any number of them for most of her adult life.

"Not so much that, but let's see who notices first," she replied.

"Notices and comments. I know Gibbs'll figure it out, but he's not one to say anything about stuff like that." Then he thought for a moment. "Twenty bucks says it'll be Abby."

She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Really? I'll take your bet, raise you twenty and say McGee will be the first." She held out her hand.

"Even fifty?" She nodded and shook her hand. But then, he pulled her toward him and kissed her full on the mouth. "Now, do you really want to talk about our team members or do you want to celebrate our engagement some more?"

Her voice grew husky, a sure sign of the direction she was headed. "What do you think?"

Tony didn't need to answer that question.


	51. Chapter 51

_A question to ponder when reading this chapter: Does Diane know the warning that come with Abby, that she is one of the few people, in the world, who can kill you and leave no physical evidence? Because she's about to overstep her bounds (not Diane!) with the wrong person._

As Abby was examining a substance from the Baltimore crime scene for the thousandth time, Ellie came into her lab. "Abby, we have a problem," she practically whispered to the tech.

Abby's head whipped around. "What? What's the matter? Is it the baby? Tony? ZIVA?" She was in her usual state, the way she had become when she heard her two friends' names since the shooting. Anytime they were mentioned, she got nervous. And, since she knew they had left for Israel over the weekend, it only made it worse. Anytime Tony went to Israel, it seemed he came back without Ziva.

But Ellie shook her head. "No, it's nothing with them, well, not directly," the young woman rushed, as if sensing Abby's distress. "I had lunch yesterday with Breena Palmer. She wanted to talk about the baby shower and-"

"Wait, she did? She didn't call me!" Abby had been putting together ideas for Ziva's baby shower and was going to call Kayla this weekend. "Why is Breena calling you? I'm the one who's supposed to be planning it!"

The blonde sighed. "I get the feeling that Breena's not even doing that. When I got there, Gibbs' ex-wife was with her and it seems she's taken over the whole thing."

Now Abby's ire was rising. "Which one?" She had her suspicions, but she wanted Ellie to confirm them.

"Ah, the first one, Diane, the one that's back with Agent Fornell," Ellie replied.

Abby had been right. "How did she find out?" While she knew who it had been, the bigger question was, how had she known about it.

Ellie seemed to be thinking it out before she explained. "Delilah told Tim, who must have mentioned it to Fornell, when he's been here for debriefing on the Wren case, who told it to Diane. Although, knowing Diane, I suspect it was given up unwillingly. At least, that's how I think it was linked together for me."

"Great," Abby muttered. "Wait, she hasn't contacted me, the aunt! Why hasn't she contacted me?"

"Well, that's not the biggest problem," Ellie told her until she saw the vicious look in Abby's eyes. "Okay, that is a very big problem. But I think we need to figure out a way to rein in Mrs. Sterling. I mean, is she even that close to Ziva?"

Abby shook her head. "No, she's not. This almost feels like she's doing it to insert herself into some part of Gibbs' life. For a woman who divorced him and took his money, she's still awfully clingy to him." Abby remembered the recent revelation of her and Fornell's reunion. And the scuddlebut had it that they wanted Gibbs' blessing. The boss didn't seem to want to think about it, though. "I have half a mind to call her and tell her to stop. Wait, does Kayla know Diane's involved also? Because she didn't mention it to me!"

"It sounded like she did. Diane mentioned talking to her and Delilah."

Abby nodded and began pacing. "This is starting to sound like I'm was being excluded from everything." Then she threw a glare towards Ellie. The other woman crumbled, which, again, Abby took as confirmation. Well, she'd have to deal with this somehow.

"Oh, but when I got back from the lunch and it came up in conversation with Tim, he said he thought that Ziva and Tony were finding out the gender of the baby soon," Ellie remembered. That cheered Abby up, until Ellie grimaced. "But I don't know if that's supposed to get out yet. Oh, and also, I'm supposed to let Diane know what the baby is. She said she needs to know for planning purposes."

"Aww, they're going for the to find out? I hope they let us know," Abby said.

"Let us know what, Abbs?" Gibbs asked

"Tony and Ziva were going to finding out if the baby's a boy or a girl soon! Hey, I wonder if Mr. D knows anything? I should call him and ask!" she informed him. She would have thought Gibbs would want to know that, but he was giving her his 'get back on track' look. "But that's not what you were here to find out, right boss?"

"No, I was hoping for some information about where we can track down Corporal Wren, actually." Now he threw an accusing look to Ellie, who stepped back cautiously.

"Well, I still haven't narrowed down this mysterious goo is," she explained as she pointed to the monitor. "But I do think I know where it came from." She went on to explain further. When she finished, he was ready to leave until she stopped him. "Gibbs, you need to stop Diane."

His head lolled back and he rolled his eyes. "What do I need to stop Diane from doing?"

Abby looked to Ellie, encouraging her to speak up. "Ah, well, boss," she started, "um, somehow she's found out about the baby shower we were beginning to plan and kind of…"

Gibbs seemed to read her mind. "She's taken over, right?" Both Ellie and Abby nodded vigorously and in unison. He muttered an expletive and headed to the elevator.

"Does that mean Gibbs is going to talk to her?" Ellie sounded hopeful.

"I wish I knew the answer to that," Abby replied. "I wonder how Tony and Ziva's trip is going. I know it wasn't exactly a happy fun vacation, but I hope they've done some fun stuff. And no going to Mossad! Anytime Tony goes to Israel, he seems to be called there for some reason. And that doesn't usually bode well for Ziva coming back with him."

"I'm sure they're fine, but it's been sounding a little crazy over there. I mean, it's been mentioned that they're looking to move and they had to do this trip. Plus, Tony's still in PT, even though it seems way too soon considering he's been out of a medical facility for barely a week," Ellie informed her.

"Yeah, I still don't know why Tony was going along. He's got to be straining himself to get back to work and that can't be good for him to get back to work." When Ellie nodded to the affirmative, Abby sighed.

After that, Ellie left the lab. Abby stood there for a minute, thinking. She wanted to pick up her phone and dial Ziva. But, with her being halfway around the world and figuring the time difference, she thought differently.

Now, besides trying to figure stuff out for Gibbs, she was also processing what Ellie had told her about Diane. Quickly, she did a search and came up with a phone number. Dialing it, she got a response on the other end. "Diane Sterling, who is this?"

"Who it is this? This is Aunt Abby Sciuto, Mrs. Sterling!" She was fuming, a state she wasn't often in. Before the other woman had the chance to respond, she continued her rant. "A little birdie told me that YOU were starting to plan Ziva David's baby shower! My question to you is, who gave you that right, huh?"

Abby heard a silent curse fly from Diane's mouth. "Abby, I didn't think a baby shower would be your kind of thing," she tried to excuse herself. "I've actually planned a number of them for my friends and I think I've gotten real good at it."

"You're not really even friends with Ziva!"

It seemed that Diane's defenses were falling. "No...no I'm not." She huffed out her next words. "Look, let's meet for lunch and we can discuss it together. We can pool our ideas for a really nice party for both Tony and Ziva."

Abby's eyes narrowed, even though the other woman couldn't see her. "Fine, but it's not your show, comprende?"

"Yes, sure, fine," Diane mumbled. They made arrangements for lunch the next day, which Abby told Ellie about and asked her to come along.

Abby took another breath. She was happy that everything seemed okay now. She had managed to hold back Diane. Now, she had some plotting to do. She wanted to beat all of Diane's expectations of her party planning skills.


	52. Chapter 52

_Can Orli Elbaz be a bitch? Yes. But I like to give her a little leeway, as I do Eli, because of her position. She is trying to make amends for her mistakes. And she is trying to seal the breach between Eli and Ziva one last time. I had to fit her into the story because I was so pleased to see Marina Sirtis on NCIS (I'm a very big Trekkie) even though I generally loathe the episodes she appears in ("Berlin", but really anything directly post-"Shiva"; "Past, Present and Future" and "Family First")._

When Mossad Director Orli Elbaz sent Officers Malachi Ben-Gidon and Liat Tuvia to pick up Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo the second time, they returned with the couple. The last time, Malachi had delivered the message Ziva had given him. To say Orli was perturbed was an understatement. She had contacted Leon Vance, immediately and directly to express her displeasure at the lack of cooperation she had received from the NCIS agents. She thought they would come when Malachi mentioned having information on the case that Agent DiNozzo had been seriously wounded in. But then she was informed that, technically, both of them were on leave and in Israel as private _American_ citizens. That word had been emphasized by Agent Gibbs, who Orli had asked to be included. It was the only thing the the man had said during th _e_ entire call. She had calmed down, at last, when Leon assured her it would be mentioned to them about the importance of cooperation between their two agencies.

It was only after the call had finished that Orli remembered Ziva was a David. They were stubborn and and arrogant and would not be moved until they were ready. And a few days later, Ziva had overcome that inborn stubbornness and called to apologize and make an appointment to see her.

David and DiNozzo walked into her office and Orli saw that the stubbornness and fire in the younger woman's eyes hadn't actually diminished, even as she was trailing the American. She knew Ziva was only here for the intel, nothing more. But Orli chose to be polite and patient, and see what it got her in return.

"Ziva, Anthony, it is good to see you," she said graciously as she gestured to the couch opposite her desk.

Ziva turned to Tony, who looked a to be a little more cooperative. "It's really lovely to be here in this building again," Tony replied, a note of sarcasm in his tone. "Seems you folks won't let me leave without stopping in and saying hi."

Orli took a deep breath, as she made a mental note that with Agent DiNozzo, appearances were often deceiving. It was a lesson Eli had learned the hard way. Then she turned to give a full look to Ziva. Of course, Malachi and Liat had reported back to her the fact that Ziva was with child and it wasn't hard to figure out that Anthony was the father. Now, it was becoming clearer why she had chosen to return to the United States. "I would like to offer my congratulations," she said. "When are you due?"

"If it all the same to you. Director, we would like to be on our way. The flight tomorrow is rather early and we would like to go back to our hotel as soon as possible." It was actually more polite that Orli had expected.

She let out a sigh and handed over a USB drive. "When we learned not just of Agent DiNozzo's shooting, but that it appeared to be connected to the Brotherhood of Doubt, I had an investigation openned. We had finished collecting the intel a few days before your return, and I was preparing it when we were alerted to your presence back in this country, so I thought it would be best to hand it off to you directly. That way, it ensured reaching NCIS without fear of being intercepted."

Ziva looked at the data storage unit in her hand. "Thank you. We will be sure that Director Vance and Agent Gibbs receive this as soon as we get back."

Ziva was not going to make this easy, it seemed, so Orli tried a new tactic. "Tony, how are you recovering? I spoke with Leon Vance just the other day and he said you had still in a residential rehabilitation program only a week ago."

Tony's eyes slide to Ziva, but then he answered the question with a rather good deal of patience. "I'm doing better. I don't really need a cane to walk anymore, so that's good. When I get back, I hope still have a little more physical therapy to do, but I hope to be back at NCIS soon."

"And you, Ziva? How are you faring with your condition?"

"You care about my condition?" When she smiled like that, like she was ready to pounce, she looked so much like Eli, it hurt Orli. But before she could go on, Tony rubbed her arm. It had the effect of calming her, as she answered. "I am well, as is the baby. And I will be rejoining NCIS soon as well."

Orli tried to act surprised by the news, but Ziva was too good at reading people for it to work now. "A mother and an agent? It is a lot to balance," she commented.

But sadly, it appeared as though her opinion was not wanted. "I have worked out the situation with Director Vance. I will not be in the field, but support for Agent Gibbs' team." Then she rose from her seat. "Now, if that is all, Director."

Orli should have let them go. Ziva's mind was set, but Orli felt there were things that needed to be said, needed to be out in the open. "Actually, I think we need to clear things up, as I suspect we will never be in each other's company again." She turned to Tony. "Agent DiNozzo, if you would, I would like to speak to Ziva alone."

One thing the Mossad director knew about the other man was, he was also excellent at reading a situation and this time, it was no different. She didn't know how much he knew about their history, but she suspected Ziva had given him all that information. Again, his eyes swung between the two women as he remained in his seat. "With all due respect, Director Elbaz, if you feel like you truly need to have this discussion, I would rather be here, for the sake of Ziva and my daughter."

It was a logical request. "As you wish." She pulled out an envelope and handed it to her. "When I was appointed as Director, it was I and I alone who was allowed to remove your father's possessions, should there be any sensitive information hidden away. So, I had to go through everything before I returned it to your Aunt Nettie. In the course of examining his things, I found this behind a picture he kept on the desk here. It was addressed to you." She tried to hand it to Ziva, but the younger woman looked away. Orli pulled her hand back, disappointed that Ziva would not take it from her.

Then she came to the other thing she wished to speak about. "I would like to personally apologize to you." From the look on Ziva's face, it wasn't what she had expected, but Orli went on. "I was a young woman, ambitious, yes and I believed there was a way to do things...to get things. I see now that it is not so. I took advantage of a breach between your parents, one that may have been able to be overcome, and destroyed their relationship. For that, you have my sincerest apologies."

There was a long silence and Orli wanted to smirk. Again, like her father, it seemed to take a lot to make them hold their tongue. Finally, Ziva recovered. "I cannot say thank you for your apology." She stood to leave, but then faced him. "I think it is time for us to leave."

"One last thing, I would also like to extend you my best wishes on your engagement," Orli told her, having noticed the ring on Ziva's finger. Ziva stopped again. It was obvious that she was fighting with herself as to how she should reply. "I want to leave things between us...better than they have been, that is all."

"Thank you, for that," she said at last. Then she left the office.

Tony seemed to agree. "Director, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I hope I never see you again," he said to her on his way out.

Her voice stopped him. "Agent DiNozzo, for me to get to this position, offense is no problem. I appreciate directness." She extended her hand, the missive still in it. "Please, take this. Give it to Ziva. I read it, again to make sure it was nothing classified. I believe, especially now, she would appreciate reading her father's word. _Shalom_ , Anthony DiNozzo, and all my blessings on you and your family."

He took the envelope, then merely nodding and walking out the door.

When she had found the letter from father to daughter and read it, Orli had gone to Eli's grave and made one final vow to him, as a subordinate, as a friend, as a lover and as a successor, that she would see to it that, before she herself, left this earth, Ziva would have that letter. She had, after nearly a year, at last completed it.


	53. Chapter 53

_This is a pivotal chapter for Gibbs in the grand scheme of this story. Having seen how he coped with the loss of Shannon and Kelly over the years, I can absolutely see Diane's first reaction to what she comes upon. And I can see an incident that tore them apart being she wanted kids and he couldn't bare the thought of them._

 _I always got the sense that Gibbs was the great love of her life, but she would never be his. By this time, she's accepted it and finally seen how much she did love Fornell (hence her nursing him back to health and their reunion), but she still does treasure Gibbs and wouldn't want his to hurt himself further by destroying what he still has of his family. And she finally realizes what he planning to do because she does know him that well._

Usually, on any typical evening after work, Gibbs was down in his basement, working on some wood project and drinking his bourbon. It was his evening ritual, since he had so little else in his life besides his job. Most nights, he was left by himself, but not tonight, when he was engaged in something very different from his norm. He heard the front door open and his name called.

"Jethro? Jethro, I know you're here! Where are you?" the voice called needlessly as it found it's way down the basement door. Diane stood there, an unpleasant look on her face. "Is it so hard to simply call for me to let me know you're down here?" she huffed to him, even though his back was to the door.

"What do you want, Diane?" He had an idea, since he had heard from Abby earlier in the day. But he figured it was best to let Diane tell him as well.

"That Abby really is a pistol. She gave me hell at lunch today for not including her in the plans for the baby shower," she continued as she hit the bottom and approached him.

"Why are you involved in it anyway?" He didn't mean to ask, because he really didn't want to know. The words just flew out of his mouth.

By that time, however, Diane saw what he was working on at the side of the basement. "Is that…?" She almost seemed scared to ask anything further.

He looked back at the box he had hauled down from wherever it had been. Inside, there were framed pictures, baby toys that were thirty years old and a pink baby blanket that was surprisingly clean. She turned to look him directly in the eyes, but he had to turn away. "What did you come here for?"

"What are you going to do with that?" she asked him, a hint of concern in her voice. He now looked at her, confused, but she continued. "You're not planning on throwing these things away, are you?"

 _No, I'm not planning on getting rid of it,_ he wanted to say. But the words failed him.

She came closer, fingering the blanket. "I haven't seen this since…"

"Since you thought you may have been pregnant," he finished. That day was still clear as bell to him. She had told him what she suspected and he had gone to the box and pulled out the blanket. He had been holding it when she had returned, devastated that the answer had been negative.

He hadn't been as broken up about it as he should have been. He didn't want children, didn't want to replace Kelly. After she had cried on his shoulder and he had offered her some sympathy, he had thrown the blanket back in the box, then shoved that out of sight. It was shortly after that incident when they began to fall apart, when Tobias Fornell had caught her eye.

She had gotten her daughter with him, and he was relieved for that fact. Diane had a baby girl, and he wasn't the father.

"I washed it for you, packed it back in here. Don't know why, didn't think it would ever see the light of day again." She blinked, looked towards the window for the cellar. "Or the darkness of night." Then her face brightened. "Are they having a girl?" She seemed anxious for the news.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't know. They haven't said a word to me," he said. When she questioned him with a look, he explained. "It's what everyone thinks, from Vance on down."

She nodded, understanding. "If it is, you're giving this to them?" There was a softness to her voice that was so foreign to him. Again, he shrugged. But she smiled. "I think that is...a wonderful gesture." Her voice broke for a minute, but she recovered.

"Didn't say I was," he simply told her.

"You are and you know it. Why else would you drag this down from the attic?" Then there was a chuckle coming from her. "Tobias was right."

"Right about what?"

She calmed herself, explaining, "When he came back from Baltimore, after DiNozzo woke up, he told me you hadn't left yet and that you probably wouldn't until he was released from the hospital. He said that you think of them, all of them really, Ziva and Chuckie and Abby and DiNozzo, as your kids. And what parent wants to be away from a kid in a hospital?"

Gibbs admitted to himself that Fornell was right. They were his sons and daughters, not by blood, of course, but by accident. Ziva most of all. That caught him up in a memory. "Right over there was the spot the man who killed Agent Caitlin Todd died," he shared, though he had no idea why. "He was killed by a headshot fired from up there," now he pointed to the doorway down, "by Ziva. That man was her brother. She had been sent on that mission by her father and when she heard all he had planned, she pulled the trigger and saved my life."

For once, Diane said nothing, enthralled by the story.

"Years later, I was told that she had been told to do that to gain my trust and when I confronted her about it, she admitted that it was true, that it had been the order given. But when she actually pulled the trigger, it was not because of an order." He took a deep breath, feeling tears forming in his eyes. "That was the day I admitted I had gotten a daughter back."

He couldn't say anything further, because his phone rang. Squinting to see the number he answered the call. "Gibbs."

"Hey, boss, can I make a request from you?" DiNozzo asked across the line.

"Yeah, Tony, what do you want?" At the mention of the name, Diane stood up and quietly waved goodbye. "Hold up, I gotta take care of something." He put his hand over the mouthpiece. "Diane, step back. If Abby needs your help, she'll come to you for it."

Mutely, Diane nodded and left. Gibbs returned to the call, but Tony asked another question. "What does Abby need help with?"

"What do you want, DiNozzo?" he asked again, ignoring the second question.

"Uh, Ziva and well, I, had a rough day dealing with Orli Elbaz," he said.

"Yeah, I heard about your first encounter with Mossad," he said, grimacing at the conference call from a few days ago.

"Yeah, well, the second one didn't go any better, so I was wondering, has anything come back on my part-time reinstatement? And, if so, would it be alright if I took a few more days leave?"

"Well, Dr. Cranston hasn't handed in her evaluation, so you're still on medical leave. And, I could let her know there's no rush to get it into Vance," he replied, a small smile on his face.

"Great! Ziva and I thank you, We'll be in contact in a couple of days, just need a vacation from the vacation." Tony seemed giddy that they were being allowed more time. "Oh, also, one other question. You haven't heard from my dad since we've been away, have you?"

"No, but why would I in any case?"

"Just wondering. Thanks boss." Then he ended the call immediately.

Gibbs closed the phone and turned his attention back to the box. It was true, he wasn't going to throw away the contents before him. But, after hearing from a little birdie, he figured they'd come in handy for someone else. He figured that would write over the painful one he had through them.

The items inside were precious and deserved to be given for another little girl.


	54. Chapter 54

_Okay, I will admit, I did play with Ziva's idea myself for a minute. But, like Tony, I did some research and decided I didn't want them to spend too much time in London and there would be issues to have it done all legal and proper. If I am wrong in thinking, oh well._

 _But I will promise, faithful readers, that I will eventually write a Tony/Ziva wedding story. I'm gathering idea right now, but it won't be for a while. And I am kind of dragging this story out, and a wedding would only make it worse._

When they had first met, Ziva was not exactly a fan of what Tony tended to call "fun." It most often seemed juvenile and obnoxious. The idea of continuing frat parties well after graduating university, pranking colleagues (well, only McGee really, and she indulged in that from time to time), and everything movies, movies, movies, it would give her headaches. But now, she had to admit, she enjoyed his ideas of fun and was ever-grateful when he suggested them.

Which was why, when he had come up with the idea of doing a stopover before they headed back to DC, she had kissed him. It had been stressful, meeting with Director Elbaz. She would never be comfortable in the presence of her late father's mistress, no matter the reason.

"So, where do you want to go?" he asked her after he made the suggestion.

Her first instinct was to say Paris, but she thought that, when it got out that they had returned to that city, it would only add to Abby's incorrect theory. So, she took a few minutes playing the options in her head. Then, she got a wild thought, one that she kept to herself for the time being. "London," was her answer.

"Done," he had said. The next morning, they landed at Heathrow and she made a few calls, getting them a room at the at the Egerton House Hotel, pricey but not as showy. She had transferred monies from her father's accounts before leaving for London, so she decided to treat. "So, does that mean you're my sugar mamma?" Tony had asked as they were brought to their suite.

"Oh, you would like that, wouldn't you? Be careful, your Senior is showing," she had laughed.

His face scrunched up as if he'd smelled something bad. "Oh, sorry, forget I even mentioned it," he said quickly. They unpacked, even though they didn't figure they'd be there that long. "So, what do you want to do now? Shopping? Fine dining? Whatever you wish, you shall have."

She turned to him suddenly, a gleam in her eyes. "Let's get married!"

He stopped dead at the suggestion.

Ziva blinked, fear creeping up once again. He had proposed to her only a few days ago. Had he changed his mind? Did he mean it as a joke? A thousand situations ran through her mind, none of them good.

He must have seen the look on her face. "No, no, it's not what you're thinking!" he said quickly, trying to soothe her. "It's just...Ziva I would love to marry you, right here, right now. Hell, when you suggested London, I even googled it to see how it could be done. It's just...we don't have the proper documentation and the only way we could get it would mean-"

"Alerting everyone back home and then dealing with probably a great deal of annoyance that we went ahead and got married without any of them there." She shuddered to think of those reactions, Abby's especially. That made her tamp down her worry. She shook her head. "No, you are right. It's just…"

"Orli?" Again, it went to prove how well he knew here.

"It has never been easy being in her company. But being with her in my father's office, it set my nerves on edge. Especially after her trying to explain her actions from when she was younger," Ziva said.

"Yeah, it pissed me off too," he admitted. "Those were some big brass ones to dredge that up to you."

"And remembering my father's infidelity, I guess, I reacted to the memory by my...suggestion," she said, trying to apologize.

"Ziva, it's not your fault. I get it, I know where all that came from," he whispered, taking her chin in his fingers and angling her head up to his. Then he gave her a sideways look. "Have you been thinking about our wedding?"

A smile returned to her face. "Thinking about it, dreaming about it. I know the things that I want definitely."

"Good!" Tony jumped up, pointing to her like she was a student who answered the question correctly. He ran around the suite until he found a notepad and pen. "That's good. Look, if we can't get married here, we can at least start to plan it here. Okay, so, what's the first thing you want for it."

Ziva let out a sigh. She knew what it was, but she was afraid she would disappoint him, especially when he looked like a kid with a new toy. Finally, she gave him the answer. "I want to not be a whale walking down the aisle."

He smiled at her, getting what she meant. "Okay, so no to the maternity wedding dress. That'll work for me. Don't want Tali to possibly pop out and join us too soon." That was the first time he had referred to the baby by her name. It made her heart flutter so much, she lost her train of thought. He went on, though. "So, let's say, for the sake of argument, we wait until she's, what, one? She can kind of be a part of it. She probably won't be walking so she won't be the flower girl, but gives us plenty of time to plan it. What else?"

She thought about her next request very carefully. It went back a few years, to Gibbs' basement. Her, having just been rescued and practically begging to rejoin NCIS and Gibbs, hurt, angry that he had been played by Eli, set up to trust her. She had cried, cried because he was right, she had betrayed him. Him, the man who she thought of as her father, more than Eli ever was. "I want Gibbs to walk me down the aisle."

Tony stilled at that, putting down his pen and pad. He knew why she wanted that particular aspect. He nodded a few times, then fell into his default personality. "That'll work. I had thought of him, briefly, as my best man, but really, I can't see him giving a really good speech. Or throwing a killer bachelor party. Okay, so Gibbs as father of the bride, and I want Timmy as best man."

"Are you sure you want a 'killer' bachelor party? Remember that one you all were investigating after Somalia." She had a smirk on her face, enjoying, for once, teasing him. "Abby, as maid of honor, of course. And I am sure she would enjoy planning a hen party." Ziva added. "I do not even know who else could be that anyway. Maybe Kayla, she's too old for flower girl but…"

"Junior bridesmaid, I think is the technical term," he supplied. "Locations? Honeymoon? Wait, I'll plan that. I got an idea about it already."

"Oh, where were you thinking?" But Tony shook his head. Ziva decided it was a question to revisit later. "About locations, that I have no idea. We can put it off, right? Investigate it further?"

"Well, we are investigators. It's what we do." It looked like he couldn't keep the smile off his face as the continued to discuss it.

Then a thought occurred to her. "Where did you parents get married, by the way? I know talking about your mother is often painful, but I am curious."

"St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. It was apparently some show. My dad's Italian side, all loud and boisterous, and my mom's much more staid, very British side. Ask my dad, he has some stories from what I heard from other family members," Tony told her. "And yours?"

"My parents got married at a registrar's office. Not much fanfare," she said. "I think Aunt Nettie told me once they were all caught off guard when he came to see her with my mother." Of course, Ziva knew the reason it had been so surprising, but she didn't think Tony would understand it. Very few people knew and even less amongst their friends. She would tell Tony, in time, but not right now, Ziva decided.

When she finished, Tony got up and went to his carry-on. He pulled out an envelope, the same one Orli tried to give her in Tel Aviv. "As I was leaving, Orli insisted I take this. You can read it when you're ready, or I can throw it out. Your call."

Ziva stared at it, afraid of what it might say. At the same time, she did want to read it, hear her father's words one last time. But she shook her head. "Not now, but, I promise you that before we do get married, before Tali is born, I will read it."

"Then, until then, I'll hold on to it. You just let me know when you want it." He returned the letter to the pocket he had kept it in and moved over to her, putting his arms around her.

She was comforted by him and felt safe. At long last, away from all the horror and darkness surrounding her, she felt safe.


	55. Chapter 55

_One of the things about all these characters has been, over the years, they have become a family, so I felt they needed a "family dinner". Of course, Gibbs the loner isn't there, but I included everyone else._

 _And I am also glad I learned Ellie didn't find out about Gibbs' past until the thirteenth season. It helps her understand her boss a little more. I'm just not sure how smart it was for me to write having a lawyer present when talking about a crime that was committed._

Over the past year or so, it had become common for Jimmy and Breena Palmer to invite Dr. Mallard over to dinner. They knew he was often alone, though he did have an active life outside of the morgue. He still attended the opera, the ballet, had infrequent meals with the occasional woman he would meet in his travels. It was quaint for the lifelong bachelor, but it did make him appreciate the invitations the young couple would extend him from time to time.

That evening, he appeared at their front door with a bottle of fine wine, to accompany the meal Breena had told him they would be having. Jimmy, as Ducky called him on these visits, opened the door and welcomed him in.

"It's lovely for you to have me over," he said to his assistant as he handed over his overcoat.

"It is always a pleasure to have you here, Dr. Mallard," Jimmy replied. While Ducky tended to be informal on these occasions, Mr. Palmer never was, still referring to him by his title and surname. Ducky had insisted a few times, but Jimmy always deferred the offer of familiarity, and Breena had followed his lead.

The young wife was in the kitchen when he entered the apartment, but came out and gave him a warm embrace and peck on the cheek, taking the bottle back with her. "We decided to do a slight change in plans from our ordinary dinners, Dr. Mallard," she said as the doorbell rang once more.

When Jimmy opened it, Timothy McGee was standing in the hallway with another bottle in his hand. "I didn't know what to get, so I got a red. You can never go wrong with one," Ducky heard him say, handing the bottle over. "Unfortunately, Delilah got an urgent call and won't be able to join us."

Ducky smiled at Breena. "I think it was a lovely idea to expand our table, my dear," he told her, warmth coming with his words.

McGee gave Ducky a nod of his head, as Jimmy explained. "We also invited Ellie and Jake, Abby, and Gibbs. Vance and his kids made plans already and couldn't break them."

Ducky let out a sigh. "I doubt Jethro will join us. I spoke to him earlier and he told me Anthony called Friday evening. It seems there was a bit of an issue between Ziva and Director Elbaz and Tony thought it might be a good idea for them to decompress somewhere that wasn't Tel Aviv or DC."

"Oh, where did he say they were going?" Breena asked as Abigail arrived at the same time as Eleanor and her husband.

"He didn't say. I don't know if he even knew. DiNozzo just called to see if there could be a delay in the director receiving Dr. Cranston's evaluation for a couple of day, so that he could take a few more days of medical leave," Ducky replied.

"I hope they're on a beach somewhere, sipping mai tais," Abby said after she, too, gave Ducky a hug. "Well, virgin ones in Ziva's case. Though, I read a study that says some wine may not have that detrimental of an effect on a fetus in the womb."

"Doctors nowadays tend to err on the side of caution in that regards. My mother saw an article on that subject once years ago and promptly informed me that she, when she was pregnant with me, had two fingers of Scotch every day, and three on Sunday," he smiled. "And I turned out perfectly fine."

Abby returned his smile. "Yes, you did, Ducky!"

It was a short while later that, after Eleanor and Jake arrived, they were all sitting down and feasting on the meal Breena had laid out, supplemented by dished from Abby and Ellie. The conversation was wide-ranging and diverse, but then Abby called for Breena's attention. "I almost forgot to tell you that had a lunch this week with Diane Sterling."

Poor Breena's face fell, as she looked quite uncomfortable under Abby's gaze. "You found out about the shower, didn't you?"

"Yes," was Abby's short answer.

"I am so sorry, Abby, but she made me swear to not tell you! She had this menacing look on her face when she did. Told me if I said something, she'd find a way to get back at me. She even showed me her IRS badge," the woman defended.

"I kind of figured it was something like that. There is no blame being laid on you," Abby assured her.

"Yes, Mrs. Sterling is a rather difficult person to deal with. She tends to think that steamrolling people is the way to get things done," Ducky commented.

"Well, she's been put in her place. I told her, in no uncertain terms, it was my party to throw," Abby retorted. "She tried to throw herself on my mercy, though. Said she only wanted to help out." Then there was a loud sigh from the forensic scientist. "I told her she could help, in the end."

"Yeah, she called me earlier today. Said she heard that the consensus of opinions is, it's a baby girl," Ellie added. "She mentioned she stopped by Gibbs' and he had out some baby things, blankets, toys, stuff like that." A shadow of concern crossed not just Ducky's face, which the speaker noticed. It was mirrored in both Jimmy's, McGee's and Abby's faces as well. "Am I missing something?" she asked eventually.

Abby and McGee shared a guilty look, then turned to Ducky as if for guidance. He nodded his head, and began the tale. "Though I have never seen this box that you said she mentioned, I suspect it holds things that belonged to his daughter."

Breena had a surprised look on her face. "Gibbs has a daughter? I never knew that."

"Unfortunately," Timothy spoke up, "it's actually had. Past tense."

Jake's expression was more curious. "What happened?"

Looks were brought back to Ducky. He figured that the newest members of their little family had the right to know about this sad chapter in Jethro's life, if for no other reason than to approach any alike topic with caution. "Jethro hasn't been married three times, he's been married four. His first wife, and the child they had together, were killed over twenty years ago."

"Oh, my God!" Ellie gasped out. "I never...I mean, I didn't even imagine…"

Now it was Abby who took up the mantle. "Shannon, his wife, witnessed a murder and the leader of the drug cartel, the killer, had put a hit on her. She was being protected by an NIS agent when he was killed while driving her and Kelly, their daughter. They didn't survive the crash." She looked back to Ducky and then continued. "Gibbs was overseas when it happened and he eventually," Abby's eyes swung to Jake, the lawyer among them, "he got his revenge."

Ducky knew that other newcomers understood exactly what Abby meant by that. But there were still looks of shock and sadness on the two women's faces. It was Breena who spoke first. "The hardest thing about my job...is when it's children. The looks on the parent's faces...I've seen it on Mr. Gibbs' face from time to time. Now I understand why."

"A few years ago, a Mexican bureaucrat invited Abby to come talk about forensics down there and gave her, as the case study, the killer's death," Tim explained further. "We eventually realized what it was and that the official was not only the man's son, but also in league with his sister, who was the head of the Reynoso drug cartel." Ducky saw his eyes flit from Breena to Jake and then to Ellie. "We now have a working theory that the Wren case could possibly tie back into it."

Ellie seemed to understand the connection. "The Brotherhood does sell their services for the right price. It would be possible for the sister to contract them, if they have mutual interests."

"She'd have to contact her brother in prison via a seance," Abby muttered.

When that drew an unasked question, Tim said, "The official was set think his sister was killed in a shootout with Gibbs. He went to the safehouse Gibbs was supposedly holed up in and shot it up. But, in truth, it was his sister who was in it and he killed her instead of Gibbs. He's now serving several life sentences in federal prison. And we," he wiggled his finger between himself and Abby, "have been looking into that angle since we found out that the shooter was the nephew of the...Gibbs' killer."

"In prison or not, I don't think he's just sitting around to pass the time," Ellie commented thoughtfully. "I'm going to look into some things when I get in tomorrow. I've got an idea or two I want to test out."

There was a moment of silence until Jimmy spoke up. "I've been wondering, who here does think it's a girl?"

Abby's hand was the first to shoot up, followed by Tim and Jimmy. Ellie's arm was raised sheepishly, as was Breena's and even Jake's. Ducky looked around the table before including, "I know Director Vance seemed certain of it from the first moment he saw Ziva, as well." Then he shrugged his shoulders. "What can we say? Great minds think alike."


	56. Chapter 56

_Meeting an old friend and a new one, although because of the AU nature of this story, this is about all we'll see of Clayton Reeves. I will say out of all the new characters being introduced, he's the one that's most interesting to me and would factor into any more canon compliant, Ziva lives fanfiction I may write. One day. Just a few ideas roaming around in my brain._

Tony and Ziva had a pleasant first day in London, hitting all the tourist traps in the city. It was fun and romantic, expect when she teased him about paying a call to his cousin Crispian. They went to a West End show that evening, enjoying the relaxation of the trip.

The next morning, Ziva insisted on doing some shopping along Kensington High Street. For three hours, Tony was dragged from one store to the other, a number of them baby boutiques. He took it all reasonable well, until, near lunch, his gut started telling him something.

They had just stepped outside and Tony immediately began scanning the street, attempting to detect anything out of the ordinary. "Ziva, my nine, black man in the dark suit. Does it feel like you've seen him before?"

Her Mossad training kicked in. Without so much as a glance in that direction, she answered, "So it is not just me then? I saw him about an hour ago further down."

He took a deep breath. "That's what I thought." He took her arm. "Come on, let's test our theory." They made their way towards the Kensington Tube station and into the arcade connected to it. They found a dark corner and watched as the man looked that way, approaching with caution. Tony didn't see a gun on him, so when he got close enough, Tony's fist flew out from the corner. Dazed, the man stumbled back enough for Ziva to get behind him and wrap her arm around his throat.

"Who are you and why are you following us?" she demanded, quiet but dangerous, so as to not garner any attention that way.

It seemed like the man tried to answer, but Tony wasn't ready to show much sympathy. "If I were you, buddy, I'd answer the lady's question. She get's real touchy when she's in that position. Trust me, I know."

At last, the man had enough air in his lungs to gasp out "MI-6." Ziva let go of him immediately and he fell hands first to the ground. While still like that, Tony searched his pockets, finding his wallet and identification.

"Seriously, honey, we can't get away from intelligence operatives when we go on vacation," he said snidely, showing her what he found. "Well, Officer Clayton Reeves, care to share with us why you were shadowing us all morning?"

By then, he had recovered from Ziva's chokehold and taken a number of breaths. "I was sent to keep an eye on you."

"Ziva, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't MI-6 like the CIA, only supposed to operate internationally?"

"Well, technically, we could be seen as foreign operatives in country. That would warrant us being under their watchful eye," she reminded him.

Reeves stood up. "It's more in the way of professional courtesy. I was sent by Peter Malloy," he explained.

Tony practically squealed with delight. Affecting a bad British accent, he asked, "And how is me old mate? Seen any classic Monty Python's lately?"

Ziva rolled her eyes, even though she should have known he was going to pull something like that. Reeves' reaction was a smirk. "Yeah, Peter said you were barmy."

"And why couldn't Officer Malloy come and see us on his own?" Ziva asked, a little perturbed.

"He's been in meetings for the past two days. When he saw it would be a third, he asked me to...retrieve you," Reeves admitted sheepishly. "Said he had information for you that you might want. It's about the Brotherhood of Doubt."

Tony looked to Ziva. "I swear, we can't get away from work at all, can we? Fine, take us to your leader."

Reeves directed them to a black Range Rover, which he allowed Ziva to ride in the front passenger seat. As the rode to MI-6 headquarters, Reeves complimented Ziva's takedown. "Not bad for a woman who's, what, five months pregnant?"

"Nearly six, actually," she corrected. "I have been working out for the past few weeks and am going to continue to do so while Tony is in physical therapy."

"PT? What for?" Reeves asked.

"I was shot, multiple times, nearly a month ago. Out on medical leave now. Ziva had some things she wanted to tie up back in Israel, so we thought we'd be going on a sightseeing vacation. Only's it's been more work than play," Tony grumbled.

"Well, sorry for interrupting, mate," Reeves apologized as he pulled into a garage underneath a nondescript office block. They all got out of the car and were ushered, first into the building, then to a conference room. "I'll let Peter know you're here," he said before leaving them.

Once he was gone, a laugh escaped Ziva. Tony shot her a funny look, but it didn't silence her. After a minute, she finally became quiet again. "It is ironic that when we go away from relaxation, work overtakes us. Yet, when we travel for work, that is the time we are able to enjoy our travels."

Tony knew she was talking specifically about the protection detail from Paris to DC and the search for Bodner in Berlin. The dance at the nightclub had stirred up unexpected emotions in both of them, but they vaporized almost immediately when they got back home. He didn't want to dwell on that, so he fell back on his default coping mechanism. "When we go on our honeymoon, sweetcheeks, I'm going to make sure we have deep covers put in place. I don't want anyone, in any country, with any intelligence service, know we are there."

"Unfortunately, in today's world, Anthony, that is nearly impossible," a new voice joined them. Tony looked up as Peter Malloy, supposed Royal Marine major but actually MI-6 agent, entered the room. "And I do apologize for they way you were contacted. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I think it was your guy who got the scare of his life. Ziva really never looks intimidating, especially now," Tony said as he shook the other man's hand.

"Never, Tony?" Tony saw the look he was getting from her, and decided it would be best for him to shut up now. Ziva turned her attention back to Peter, who charmingly gave her a kiss on her hand.

"Yes, Clayton mentioned you were expecting. Who is the lucky father-to-be, and future husband?" Peter asked, but already knowing the answer. At least, Tony hoped he did.

That was his cue to sidle over to Ziva and take her quite possessively in his arms. "Now, now, no working your accented charms on her. She's been spoken for."

"Well, congrats to you. I did suspect there was something there when we last met in Norfolk, That was why did chose not to make a move," Peter complimented.

"Not to sound rushed, but Reeves spoke of you having information on the Brotherhood of Doubt," Ziva asked, getting down to business.

Malloy produced a USB drive from his breast pocket. "Your Director Vance sent word far and wide about your shooting and possible connection it may have to this terrorist network. As someone who has worked with you in the past, I asked to be the liaison for this. We gathered a good deal of information, including a snap or two of a Lance Corporal Howard Wren."

Tony perked up at the name. "Where did you find him? He's been alluding NCIS and the FBI for a month!"

"When those were taken, he was in Mumbai, actually. But, the latest intel places him on the other side of Pakistan," Malloy answered. "The exact information is on that drive."

"We should think about getting back to DC, Tony," Ziva suggested. "Get this and the one Mossad gave us to Vance and Gibbs."

Tony nodded in agreement. "Thanks again. We owe you."

"Well, you won't be rushing off back to Washington immediately, will you? I do think after all the trouble you encountered today, I owe you a dinner at least. Your choice, price no object."

"What do you say, Tony? Should be take him up on his generous offer?" Ziva asked, to which he only answered with a wide grin.


	57. Chapter 57

_They're back on home soil and have some 'splaining to do. And Vance may not let them off that easily. He's going to have a little fun, especially at Tony's expense. Now also, remember the bet between Tony and Ziva. Who puts all the pieces together will surprise you._

Vance looked down on the bullpen from the second level, awaiting the inevitable. In the middle of last week, he had received the report from Dr. Cranston, approving Tony DiNozzo for partial reinstatement. He had heard from the man himself a day later, having arrived back in Washington with Ziva David after their extended vacation. After a weekend of further rest, Agent DiNozzo and Ziva were going to come in for debriefing on the information they had been given while they were away.

He was a little miffed at the two of them. It seems like they had caused a ruckus with two different allies on their travels. Well, one voiced displeasure, while the other was more understanding of the problems they had caused. All the same, Vance felt like he should have a word with the two of them, reminding them to at least try and be a bit more cooperative when abroad.

He saw from his perch that Abby, Ducky and Jimmy were already up and waiting for DiNozzo's entrance. McGee and Bishop were chatting with them, but he didn't see Gibbs around, until he heard a voice.

"Hail, hail, the returning hero, Leon?" Gibbs asked, a smirk on his face.

Vance shrugged. "He does deserve a little welcome, at least." Then he sighed. "Even if they did nearly cause a couple of international incidents."

"Well, Malloy called me to extend an apology. Claims he was misunderstood. Elbaz, however…"

"What did you hear?" Vance asked. He suspected Gibbs had spoken to the couple when they had gotten back. He had a feeling something was mishandled on the Israelis part. Vance didn't have anything like the same relationship with Orli Elbaz that he had with Eli David. But, from what he knew of Eli and Orli, there was the possibility of it causing issues with Ziva.

Now it was the Team Leader's turn to shrug. "Just don't like the feeling I get from her," was all he said.

"You didn't much like Eli either," Vance reminded him. His ears were still ringing from the rant Eli had unleashed on him four years ago when Gibbs had warned the director of Mossad off his own daughter.

"What can I say? Don't much like the way either of them have treated Ziva."

Leon understood that. He had observed Jethro and Ziva and it looked to the NCIS director that the other man almost thought of the woman as a daughter. And knowing the relationship between her and her father, he was rather pleased that Gibbs had taken to her so.

Anything further, he was about never got out, as he heard Abby's high-pitched squeal few seconds after the elevator pinged and the door opened. Out stepped DiNozzo and David. He observed Tony moving easier than he had when they had left over two weeks before. Vance decided to stand back, let everyone else greet him, then he'd call them up for their talk.

McGee, Palmer and Mallard each gave Tony a firm shake of the hand. He gave Bishop a peck on the cheek, then had to deal with Abby barreling into him and becoming difficult to dislodge, as the others greeted Ziva. As she was chatting with them, Vance noticed something was different about the woman. He smiled as he realized what it was.

Finally, Gibbs, having disappeared from Vance's side, materialized in front of the clutch of people on the lower level. Tony extended his hand to his boss. Gibbs took it, than swatted his Senior Field Agent hard on the back of his head.

"Thank you, Boss," Tony said. It seemed like he had been expecting that from his Gibbs.

"You know what it's for, DiNozzo?" Gibbs questioned.

Tony's eyes flicked upwards, noticing Vance standing upstairs. He looked to Ziva, who also noticed, then mumbled something that sounded like, "Think I have an idea."

Vance took that as his cue. "DiNozzo! David! With me!" Then, without a glance backwards, Vance headed to his office, expecting the others to follow shortly.

When the door to his office opened again, Gibbs, David and DiNozzo all walked in. Vance put on his sternest face, one that his own kids generally feared. After they took their seats, Leon, still standing, began. "I was contacted by Director Elbaz about a week ago. She informed me that, in trying to aid our search for Corporal Wren, the two of you were less than cooperative." DiNozzo began to speak, but Vance shushed him. "Then I was contacted by MI-6. They mentioned something about beatdown that was laid on one of their guys." Now it was David who tried to explain, but a look quieted her. "Do I need to remind either of you how important it is to work with our friends in the fight against terrorism?" Neither of them ventured an attempt to speak. "This is a question I do want answered."

The two began at the same time. "Director, Officers Ben-Gidon and Tuvia approached us and practically ordered us into the vehicle," DiNozzo said as David replied, "There was threat sensed by us when we realized that Officer Reeves was following us."

Again, Vance held up his hand to stop their chatter. When they quieted, he continued to glare. "Thank you. Now that the scolding is done," he softened, "I believe that you have intel to deliver to Gibbs and I from the Brits and Israelis?"

Tony looked to Ziva and she looked back. Then, he reached into his jacket pocket and brought out the two flash drives. "This one," he held up a plain black, "courtesy of our friend, Peter Malloy in London." Then he showed them the other USB drive. "And this one is from our...associate...in Tel Aviv."

Both were placed into Vance's palm. He nodded his thanks, then he returned to his desk. He put the drives down and picked up an envelope. "This was sent to me last week, from Rachel Cranston. Your evaluation, Agent DiNozzo."

He could see the intake of breath from Tony. "And what does the good doctor say, sir?"

Leon never really appreciated DiNozzo's teasing of his co-workers. It was stupid and childish. So he decided to have a little fun with the man. Eyes shifting to Gibbs he said with a straight face, "She doesn't think you're ready to return. You been pushing yourself too hard and she thinks you should step off the throttle. You're about to be a father, and a husband. You need to take it easy, because I can assure you, in a few months, it will never be again."

Tony mouth opened and closed a few times. The man was speechless, a highly unusual state for him. "But sir, I'm fine...how did you...huh?"

Ziva blushed and giggled. "I guess neither of us won that bet."

Finally, DiNozzo recovered. "Sir, I want to...I need to get back to work. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed what I could of our vacation, though I wouldn't recommend a tour of the Mossad or British Secret Service offices…"

Leon couldn't hold in his laughter any more. He shook his head. "Don't like being teased, do you, Agent DiNozzo? Don't worry, Dr. Cranston is confident you are in the right frame of mind to come back on a partial workload."

Tony smiled as he exhaled. "Thank you, Director."

Leon turned his attention to Ziva. "And you? Have you thought about speaking with Dr. Cranston?"

Ziva nodded once. "I have. I made an appointment to see her next week for my evaluation. I believe my spirits have been laid to rest and I am ready, as well, to come back to NCIS."

"Then I look forward to seeing it, Agent David," Leon replied as they rose from the conference table. Tony and Ziva were about to leave, when he decided he had one last thing to say. "And the next time you are on foreign soil in any capacity, you don't need to piss off any of our associates. Is that clear?" Then merely nodded and, followed by Gibbs left the office.

At last, his top team was back on it's feet.


	58. Chapter 58

_This is the last of the re-arranged chapters. In fact, this was originally much earlier in the story, but I didn't like it and it got moved._

 _Many facets of Tim McGee here. Computer whiz, uncle-to-be and good friend, I wanted him to be in on this moment for the two of them. He, more than anyone save Gibbs has had to deal with the sexual tension the two threw off for eight years. He deserves a treat for that._

A few days after Tony was partially reinstated, Tim was at DiNozzo's place, with several boxes either in his hands or on the floor next to the apartment's front door. He was about to put the stuff down to knock when the front door opened. "McGee, good to see you!" Ziva said cheerfully.

"Well, you're in a good mood," he observed as he came in and put some boxes down. Turning around to get the rest, he added, "Guess you're ready to get back to work, huh?"

"Yes, I am ready to have my talk with Rachel. This is the longest I have not been working since I was eighteen," she said. "I am not equipped to sit around!"

"Yeah, I remember that about you," he replied, remembering the times that she was theoretically on vacation, but still was on the job.

"Is that McTech?" Tony called from the bedroom. "About time you got your ass over here!"

"Good to have you back too, DiNozzo," Tim muttered as he looked around the room. Tony came out, walking a bit gingerly. Tim turned to look at him. "How's the therapy going?"

"I don't think I've worked out this much since college ball," he moaned a bit.

"Well, Sam did tell you to lay out," Ziva reprimanded him.

"Sam?" the younger agent asked. "Oh, nice, the sexy physical therapist, I'm guessing?"

But it was Ziva who answered him. "Oh, yes, very much so." Tim narrowed his eyes at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Did you know that a woman's libido can go into overdrive during pregnancy?" Tony asked. He seemed to have figured out what Ziva was talking about.

"Are you jealous?"

Tony shook his head. "Not this time." Then he seemed to grow serious. "I think Ziva and I have been through too much to still play those games anymore. And besides," the usual Tony DiNozzo came out, "there's no harm in looking."

"Yes, there is," Ziva said from behind them. She had a look on that Tim knew all too well. Tony seemed to get the message too.

"I stand corrected," he acknowledged. Then he looked back at Tim. "Now, McInstaller, don't you have work to be doing?"

Tim let out a sigh. Yep, the old Tony was back, not that he thought he was ever not gone in the few weeks. "Hey, I had a thought. Since you've been out on leave, does that mean I've been Senior Field Agent this entire time?" he asked, deciding to have a little fun at the other man's expense.

"McGee, you will always be Probie to me, got it?" Tony's smile was a tad deranged, but nothing Tim had been used to for the past decade. "Remember what Franks called Gibbs till the day he died."

"Okay," McGee hurried along, not wanting to dwell on that thought, "so where do you want me to set all this up? I have secure servers with laptops already wired into them. They'll give you access to all our databases, plus, I have been winked at to see that you'll be able to tap into...other...resources you wouldn't normally be able to get to from a private residence." Tim had been authorized by the director to see that Tony and Ziva had anything they had at NCIS at their apartment.

Tony looked around. "Oh, um, huh. This place was going to be getting tight with all of Ziva's stuff, plus we're going to start to get for the baby. I didn't even think about any of this."

"Have you thought about moving?" Tim asked him.

It was Ziva who nodded. "We had briefly talked about it when he was still in the hospital, but I think we are going to have to seriously consider it now."

"We'll add it to the list," Tony told her, "since we've already gotten Israel and the evals off of it."

"How was Israel, anyway?" That was when Tim realized that they had told him much about their trip or the little side trip they took to...where had they gone? They never had mentioned when they'd stopped by NCIS the other day.

"It was...fine," Ziva explained. "There was property I have no need for anymore, bank accounts I need to close out, papers of my father's I have neglected. It was all taken care of."

"And an aunt to visit, right?" Tony asked.

"Yes, we did see one of my aunts while we were there," was Ziva's comment, but nothing further was offered.

That made Tim curious. "What was she like?"

It was Ziva who grimaced. "Let's just say, it would not be good to have Senior and Aunt Nettie in the same room."

More mystery, Tim realized. Something that could cover a wide range of situations. "That bad?" he ventured.

But Ziva shook her head and turned to Tony. "When I first mention Tony, his full name, her question was, 'Is there a senior?'"

Ah, now Tim understood. That kind of trouble. Tony confirmed it. "I got the feeling from the rest of that conversation, if they both end up in town at the same time, Gibbs'll be having houseguests."

"Namely," Ziva said with a sigh, "the two of us."

Tim couldn't help the snicker. He knew Senior well enough to know the older man may not object to having some female attention from anyone, let alone Ziva's aunt. Then he felt the slap on the head. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, 'kay? It's not funny," Tony ordered after delivering the head slap. "I already had the possibility of another stepmother in my own godmother, I'm not ready for our families to be _that_ close!"

 _It was worth it,_ Tim thought, but wisely did not voice. So, he continued on with his job, installing the hardware and setting up the system. "So when are planning on looking for a new place?"

"It'll be soon pretty soon. We don't have a whole hell of a lot of time until the little bundle of joy comes, so I think it would be a good idea to be in place before then." Then Tony indicated to McGee. "And when that time comes, we'll be needing the help of our friends to move."

Ziva gave Tony a withering look. "Any help from our friends would be appreciated, not expected." Tony merely shrugged until, without warning, they both heard a gasp from her. "Oh, ow!"

He and Tony were over to her in an instant. "Ziva!" Tony yelled as she slid down onto the couch. "Ziva are you alright?" McGee could see the panic on his friend's face and had his cellphone out if emergency services needed to be called.

But she shook her head. "No, sorry, I'm fine." She rubbed her stomach as she took a breath. "It wasn't painful as it was...surprising." Then she took Tony's hand and watched his face. As she grimaced again, he lit up like a Christmas tree. "Feel that?"

"Is that…?" Tony smiled in wonder.

Ziva smiled and looked at Tim. "McGee, here, feel."

His hand was now on her stomach and his eyes widened. "Is that the first time the baby's kicked?

"It's the first one I've definitively classified as a kick. I think the little one has been doing it for a while, but this was the strongest." Now her smile was the one she used when she was teasing them, Tony mostly.

Tony was quiet, still looking in awe at her. "You scared me there for a minute, David," he scolded her gently. "Don't do that again. Let me know things like this, okay?"

Tim suddenly felt like he was intruding on a private moment between the two of them, despite the fact he had been allowed in for a minute. Neither of them were paying much attention to him, as both were basking in the feel of their child's kicks.

After that, Tim finished his assignment quickly and excused himself. But neither Tony nor Ziva said goodbye to him.


	59. Chapter 59

_Some more time with Rachel. I do think it's good that Ziva has someone to talk to who can be objective to her history and talk to her as such. The team is so close that it's almost unhealthy that Ziva can't have that kind of relationship with them. They are all too intimately familiar with her history to be helpful like that._

 _And Ziva also needs a friend outside of the office. Not a BFF, but someone who doesn't have the same worldview as her. NCIS can be a fishbowl and Ziva does need to swim in others._

This was the second time Ziva David had sat in front of Rachel Cranston in a purely professional capacity. The first time, the psychiatrist wasn't entirely sure how to handle the agent. She herself was jittery and nervous as she spoke with the sister of the man who had murdered Kate. Ziva was combative, not wanting to be doing the evaluation, not seeing the need for it.

Now, the woman was calmer, even a little more serene. Rachel chalked it up her pregnancy, and her recent trips. The doctor considered those things as she began. "When we last spoke in a setting like this, I asked you what you wanted. You said you wanted something permanent. Do you think you have that now?"

Ziva didn't answer right away, considering what had been posed to her. "There is never a permanency in life, I have come to realize. But what I have now, I will take for the time I have it. I will...not take any of it for granted."

Rachel smiled. "Very deep," she commented.

"It's funny. Tony told me when he was in the coma that he had a dream of me," Ziva explained with a laugh. She must have noticed Rachel's eyes light up with glee. Rachel knew full well what that dream could entail, coming from Tony DiNozzo. Ziva confirmed it by saying further, "Yes, there may have been an element of that to it. But he also said that he begged me to stay forever and I told him, that was not possible, that life was fleeting. But I did promise him we would take the time we had now."

Again, Rachel smiled. As she read over her notes, she came upon her next question. "How was your trip back to Israel?"

That cause Ziva to inhale a deep breath. "It went fine, for the most part.''

"What happened?"

Ziva closed her eyes, seemed to be wrestling with what to mention. "I had an...uncomfortable encounter. I was hostile at first, then less than cooperative later on." She looked to the side, as if trying to decide if to continue. "My father had an affair with a young woman, a fellow Mossad operative, when I was younger. It destroyed the already tenuous relationship between my parents. Over the years, especially since his death, the woman has tried to approach me, engage me. Now, that woman is the director of the agency and, as such, has a relationship with NCIS in general and Director Vance in particular. And, again, she tried to speak to me. Sent two agents to pick Tony and I up on the street. As you can imagine, that did not go over so well."

"I can see that being a problem. Was it personal or professional, the reason she wanted to speak to you?" Rachel asked.

"Both, as a matter of fact," Ziva answered. "She did have intelligence she wanted to pass on to us about Tony's shooter. However, later on, when we did meet her, she wanted to apologize for her...behavior... as a young agent with my father."

That caused Rachel to raise her eyebrow. "And how did you take that?"

"Not as badly as I would have thought, but not well. It felt like I was cornered for that specific reason. It was not the reason I was called before her. I felt ambushed." Ziva's voice got louder with each sentence, anger rising to above all other emotions. Then she quieted. "In the end, she did congratulate me on our engagement, but after that, I left."

"I did notice the ring," Rachel said, leaning over for a better look. She had noticed it, of course, when Ziva had walked in, but because this was a professional call, she thought it would be a good idea to not mention it unless she brought it up. "It's very lovely. How did Tony propose?"

Ziva seemed to relish telling that story to Rachel. She set the scene, then after going into every detail about it, said, "Then he told me how Senior proposed to his mother, given this to her. Tony even said that his great-grandmother help his father pick it out."

"A lot of family history there," Rachel remarked.

"That's the type of history I want to tell my daught-" Ziva stopped, catching herself.

Rachel couldn't stop the smirk. "Don't worry, I won't tell a soul. Doctor/patient confidentiality and all."

"That is what I want to tell my children when they ask about their family, their heritage. My family…" She shook her head, as if ashamed. "Tony and his father, they have had their difficulties over the years, but compared to my family, they are functional, normal."

"You're still living under Ari's shadow," she deduced.

"Not so much as my own father's. For as much as he claimed to love his children, he was cold, unfeeling. Even when they were at their worst, I could always see, many times more than Tony, that his father did love him, that there was a pain over their separation."

Rachel was silent for a moment. "With everything that is happening in your life, it is understandable you're looking back on your past. You're trying to ensure you won't make the same mistakes your father made."

"I know that there were great responsibilities Eli had to his country, but even my Aunt Nettie admits he was wrong to put them before his wife and children," Ziva said. "And, while I admit that neither Tony nor I have that commitment, I fear...I fear it could become our reality as well."

"Ziva, you'll have a great many changes in the coming months, your own responsibilities. You are not your father, neither is Tony your's or his own," Rachel said. "Take your own advice. Live in the now."

That seemed to appease her. Then Ziva asked, "So, am I fit to return to work?"

Rachel had to laugh. She wasn't surprised that question came up. "I haven't seen anything that would make me say no. I would advise you, privately, that I do think it may be a good idea we continue to talk. It can be informal, lunch, something like that. I'm a mother myself and I have a feeling you'll be looking for help there?" Ziva shared the chuckle as she nodded to the affirmative. "So, how does next week sound? My treat."

"It sounds lovely, but I will have to see. I will be back at work and I am not sure if my boss will allow it," she joked.

"Let me deal with them. I'm sure I can persuade them to allow you a lunch out with a friend."


	60. Chapter 60

_This chapter was very different when I started it and it got more different upon a rewatch of "Gone." Initially, I did something I rarely do, scrapped it and started all over again. Then it was pointed out to me that we haven't seen someone who is very important to Ziva yet and I saw a way to fit him in. I'm never going to get my Eli/Senior moment in this story (elsewhere maybe, but not here) so I went with the next best thing. And then to discover that the two men had crossed paths before was a wonderful addition to the chapter._

 _So, Senior has someone else to bond with in the grand scheme of the story. And I think that that man is more fun than Eli would ever be in similar situations. I mean, can you imagine the family dinners with the four of them? They seem to have gotten off to a wonderful start already in Geneva!_

Senior's cellphone rang early one morning and when he looked at the number, it was one he had never seen before. Usually he wouldn't take such a call, but he decided, for some reason, to take this one. "Hello, Anthony DiNozzo Senior speaking."

"Mr. DiNozzo, I am glad I did have the correct number. You are a hard man to track down," the elderly accented voice said. It sounded familiar, but Senior didn't know why.

"And to whom am I speaking with?" he asked.

"Oh, so sorry. My name is Schmeil Pinkhas, an old friend of the David family," the voice introduced himself as. "And I was wondering if we could meet. Or, meet again, as the case may be. I have recently heard from an old friend in Israel that Ziva has decided to stay in the United States and I did want to see her."

"And why are you calling me?" Something about this didn't sound right. _Or was Junior's years as a cop just rubbing off on me now?_ he thought.

"Please, do not be worried. We have drinks in Geneva a few years ago and I would like to get reacquainted. I would also like it to be a surprise for Ziva that I am in town," he explained. "I have met your son. A fine man he is."

"And what else have you heard about Ziva and my son?" came the cautious question. He still wasn't sure who he was talking to, as he had been at a number of bars, and talked to a number of people, in that particular city.

"Nettie gave Anthony her seal of approval, I can assure you."

Senior thought it through a little more. It seemed harmless enough. The man on the other end of the line seemed to think they knew each other. And even it turned out they had not, Senior did want to meet members of Ziva's family and her friends. He had suggested that they have Aunt Nettie come for a visit, but both had shot him down rather voraciously.

"I don't see why not. Ziva and Junior are out working with their realtor today, so I have time. An early dinner, maybe?" They agreed on a restaurant and planned to meet there at five, well after the two had returned.

The kids were very enthusiastic, as it seemed that they had found a few places that they liked. In fact, there was one that the agent was willing to open back up for them to show Tony's father that evening. But he shook them off, telling him he was meeting someone for dinner.

When they had questioned him about his plans, he had held them off again, saying an old friend was in town. He wasn't sure if they would want him to meet Schmeil, especially after he brought up Nettie, but they seemed to buy it.

He entered the restaurant they had agreed at and was suddenly approached by an elderly gentleman. "Anthony DiNozzo, Senior! It is good to see you again!" he declared as he held his hand out to be shaken. "Tony looks so very much like you."

"Schmeil, I am assuming? Yes, I am he indeed," Senior answered with a smile. Now he was remembering the man. They had just happened to fall into conversation one night, nothing much. But it had been pleasant and rather ironic now.

They were shown their table and drinks were ordered. "You said on the phone you wanted to keep this a surprise. Call me paranoid, but why? And how did you even find my number?"

"Ah, yes, well, apologies up front. I have, shall we say, sources that were able to furnish me with your phone number. And, as I am in a way the closest thing Ziva has to a father anymore, I thought it was best we re-introduce ourselves," he said at last. "Eli was my protege when he was younger and I maintained a relationship with him and his family since then." Then he grew solemn. "It was I who accompanied Ziva back to Israel with her father's body."

Now Senior was beginning to get a fuller picture. He understood, without it being said, that this man was a former intelligence operative, if he had been Ziva's father's mentor. He certainly didn't look like an operative, rather a scholar.

Something in his quiet analysis must have tipped his hand. "I have, in my later years, become a lecturer on Middle East history. As such, I travel a good deal and do not get as much of an opportunity to see Ziva as I would like."

Now Senior was put more at ease. "Well, I am pleased to meet some of Ziva's family. I do understand there is not much left and when I did mention to them about having, Aunt Nettie I believe her name is, for a visit, neither my son nor Ziva seemed to warm to the idea." He took a sip of his drink. "How funny it is that we ran into each other before!"

Schmeil chuckled. "That is more due to Nettie. She told me when you were first mentioned to her, she became...interest. You caught her eye, without even being seen." Then he pulled out his phone and scrolled through pictures until he showed one to Senior. The image was that of a pretty redhead, still attractive even though, he pointed out, she was in her seventies. "She was, for a short time in her youth, as a model. This line of work did not amuse Eli much," he told Senior with a shrug of his shoulders. Then he put the phone away. "And yes, it was so funny when Ziva introduced me to your son. I told him we had shared a drink before and you were telling me all of your stories." Now it was his turn to take a sip. "So, what do you know of our little couple here? What is the situation with them. Nettie didn't say much as to why they were in Israel."

"They didn't say much to me either, but Ziva had pulled up stakes over there. They did close down some properties she held," Senior confirmed.

"And she and Tony are together." That was not a query. "I thought it might happen the night he came to dinner with Ziva and I."

Senior didn't know how much he should confirm to this man who was basically a stranger to him, especially since it seemed Ziva's aunt hadn't divulged much beyond Ziva's dispossession. But then he decided he didn't care. If he was wrong it saying anything, he'd play dumb to the two of them. "They are together, as a matter of fact," he confirmed before a smile took over his face. "And expecting a baby, and engaged."

It surprised Senior that the news didn't garner more than a blink from his companion. But, after a moment, Schmeil smiled as well. "I am happy to hear that, though I am old enough to narrow my eyes at the order of all this."

"Well, I must say I am thrilled with all these developments, and I don't give a toss whichever way they happened," he retorted gently. "I thought Ziva was a lovely young woman from the moment I met her and I am more than pleased she's become a member of my family."

"And I could tell how much your son cared for her. When her father was killed, he brought her back to his place and called me there to comfort her as well," Schmeil said. "Despite all their conflicts, she was devastated by his death. And while I know Eli was never a big fan of Tony's I know he would be pleased to know his daughter has found some who loves her, as I know Tony does."

"Well, I'm sure you can tell their relationship has had some ups and downs. In fact, a few weeks ago, my son…" Senior gulped, "A few weeks ago, Junior was seriously injured. That was the same night Ziva arrived in DC. He didn't know that she was back, or that she was pregnant."

"Yes, I spoke to her when Tony left Israel, but at the time, I do not believe she herself knew she was with child." He took a sip of his drink before continuing. "She did regret not leaving with him, but there is a stubborn streak within the Davids."

"I gathered that. Even after she found out, it took her several months to come back, and then to return and learn the father of your child was…" He couldn't continue that thought. It was one that would always haunt him. "She's been on a roller coaster the past few months. But I think it's getting better. Tony and Ziva seem to have gotten through the worst."

"But there is nothing to prepare you as a parent, yes?" Schmeil's eyes were laughing, which made Senior grin. "They have at last discovered what I saw when I first witnessed them together. They are stronger as a pair then separated."

Senior raised his glass to that. "Here, here." Clinking together, and taking a sip, he came up with an idea. He knew Schmeil would like it, but, again, wasn't sure how popular it would elsewhere. "Say, would you like to join us for dinner one night? Celebrate the joining of our families?"

The smile was he answer, but Schmeil replied anyway. "Mr. DiNozzo, I would be honored and thrilled by this. I was planning on going out to dinner with Ziva while I was in town, so it works perfectly for me. But we shan't tell them you and I have met tonight. I want to surprise Ziva with my appearance in DC. I will make the arrangement with them-"

"And I can tag along," Senior concluded. "Something I am fairly sure my son with protest, but I'll handle him."

They shared a conspiratorial smile as the continued their dinner, sharing stories about Tony and Ziva, embarrassing, amusing ones. Senior learned a great deal more about his future daughter-in-law, so much that, by the end of the evening, he was pleased this man had tracked him down, again, however concerning it had been at the start.


	61. Chapter 61

_Did anyone really think the baby's gender would remain a secret until the birth? How many intelligence operatives and hackers do they work with? I thought it would just be easier to out that beforehand. Because, I myself blow a gasket when the gender is not known. Makes shopping for things much harder._

 __ _And I always love a little Abby/Ziva bonding. Two very different women, hard beginnings of a friendship, but Abby has become so important in Ziva's life, a gal pal I don't think she's ever really have outside of her sister._

Abby had made plans with Ziva about coming over for lunch at least once a week while Tony had still been in rehab. She hadn't been able to follow through with those plans until after they'd gotten back from their vacation however. But that did seem to work out, as Abby had at last been able to wrangle the baby shower plans from Diane Sterling. Now, Abby had a great excuse to poke around and gather intel to help her continue making arrangements for the party.

She had already decided a few things. One was that the party would include the guys as well as herself, Diane, Ellie, Delilah and everyone else. She knew most of them wouldn't want to be there, but she had enough ways of threatening people to ensure she'd get full cooperation. There was still no location picked out, but that was the least of her worries.

Now, she was going to concentrate on getting information out of Ziva. Abby knew just how tough of a nut the woman was to crack, but Abby was good at being sneaky to extract needed information.

When the door opened to admit Abby into the apartment, it surprised her that Ziva was already on the phone. The conversation was half in English, half in Hebrew. That concerned the scientist for a minute, until Ziva ended the call. "Sorry about that. An old family friend called and I hadn't spoken to him in a while. Which he felt was cause to scold me like a child," she explained as Abby put down her bag and parasol.

"Like, a friend from Israel, friend?" That came out more nervous than Abby had intended. "You just got back from there. Do you have to go back for something already?"

Ziva shook her head, trying to reassure Abby. "No, it was Schmeil, a very old, and by that I mean aged, family friend. He heard from my Aunt Nettie that I was back in Washington and was lecturing me on not letting him know earlier. He will be around for a few weeks for a history conference. I also have a feeling she may have told him that Tony and I are together."

"I never heard you mention a Schmiel." Abby tried to not sound upset, but it was coming out that way even to her ears.

"He escorted my father's body back to Israel with me," she explained. "And one time he was in town, Tony joined us for dinner. I think he would like to meet again, as he mentioned it to me."

That made Abby smile. "So does Tony have the Schmiel seal of approval?" she had to ask, a conspiratorial hint in her voice.

Ziva returned the smile as they headed to the kitchen. "Very much so. Schmiel actually said as much after he first met Tony. I was sure that he wouldn't like him, but he said he saw a difference in me when I was around him. Like I was a typical teenage girl."

They continued chatting about Schmiel, Tony and the trip for a few minutes. Abby allowed Ziva a bit of venting when Orli's name came up and even Abby agreed that she had a right to be pissed at the other woman.

"So, Tim said you guys also took a side trip. I'm guessing it was too stressful with all the stuff that happened there to come home?" Abby asked.

"Yes, so we thought a little getaway from the getaway was in order. And, I wanted to do some looking around in baby boutiques as well." Ziva pointed to a few boxes in the cornered that had been shipped over.

Abby's smile reappeared and Ziva, understanding it, nodded. She raced over and was about to look through them, until a teddy bear caught her eye. "You stopped in New York too?" she asked, seeing the FAO Schwartz label on the stuffed animal.

Ziva shook her head. "No, that is from Senior. Just before we left, I had the ultrasound that confirmed the sex of the baby. Senior, when he'd been up there earlier, bought a blue one and a pink one and asked us what it was by telling us to pick a corresponding bear."

"Awww, that is so cute! What a great idea of Mr. D's!" Then, another thought hit her. "Wait, that was like three weeks ago! He's know ever since?"

Shoulders up and down, Ziva made little by way of reply. "Tony asked him to keep it a secret."

"But it's not anymore?"

"Abby, quite frankly, I am shocked that neither you nor Tim have hacked the doctor's database to find out that information." Then she shrugged her shoulders. Her face looking disappointed. "Especially considering I know you're planning a shower," Ziva said nonchalantly.

Mouth hanging open, Abby didn't know what to say. "Why do you say…? How did you know…? What gave you that….?"

Now it was Ziva's smile that was wide. "I knew it!" She turned and did a little dance, which made Abby realize she'd been tricked.

"Wow, that was low, but impressive," Abby said.

"Do not feel bad. I've been doing this for a long time. It was not that difficult," Ziva consoled her. "It was not hard to see it coming."

"So you're not mad or anything? I mean, I wanted to do it for my...well," Abby couldn't help but giggle a little bit, "my niece. And especially when the first former Leroy Jethro Gibbs got wind of it. She had the gall to try and plan it without me!"

That made Ziva wince. "Why would Diane want to help? I've never really had much contact with her in the past."

"I have no idea, but she was going to make Breena and Ellie lie to me about it too. Well, I think Gibbs got a hold of her and I gave her a piece of my mind as well." Then Abby took the pink bear again. "No matter, this is going to be the best baby shower for little...what's her name?"

"Actually, Abby, I'd rather keep that a secret until she's born. Tony and I have chosen a name and Senior and my Aunt Nettie know it, but outside of them, you will all hjave to wait until she is born."

"But, see, if I know beforehand, I can get the word out and we have get her monogramed blankets and sweaters and…" Abby was off and it took Ziva a few minutes to get her back on track.

"Abby, that is sweet, but Tony and I agree on this. And no trying to wheedle the information out of anyone else, okay? Do not worry, in a few months, you will all know what her name will be." Abby could tell Ziva was hoping that would appease her.

Abby nodded, although with some reluctance. "So, then it's just Tony, you, me, Senior and your aunt that know it's a girl?"

"As far as I know. Tony swore his father to secrecy, told him he didn't care who threatened him or how, it was to keep it to himself. And I have seen no indication that anyone else know," Ziva told her. "Why, do you think there may be others who know?"

Abby didn't think that, and said so. "I'm guessing, then, it won't be a bad thing if I tell the others? Because, well, we all kind of had a feeling it was going to be a girl."

"I see no problem in telling everyone else, especially since you have to some planning for the shower." That conspiratorial smile had returned.

Now that got the wheels turning in Abby's mind.


	62. Chapter 62

_Some more Fornell and for good measure, a little bit of Kort. He's another character I've enjoyed over the years. A snarkier Eli, loves to push Tony's buttons (who pushes right back) and another character done a disservice in the season 13 finale. Anyone feel he he was to easy a mark in that whole mess? And he'd really try and shoot his way out? He's been threatened with three NCIS guns trained on him in the past, what was he thinking with a fourth, plus FBI and MI-6?_

 _Now, I know Ziva's been sporting some jewelry and not many have commented. Chalk it up to seeing up not seeing. So Tobias' going to be the one to point out the obvious. See, the FBI can figure things out with NCIS!_

Tobias Fornell had been asked by NCIS Director Vance to stop by the Navy Yard. It seemed that some new intel had surfaced on Tony's shooting and since, ostensibly, the FBI was still running the investigation, it was best that the lead agent for the case was there. The Senior Agent had been doing his part for the case, of course, but also had been turning a blind eye as NCIS ran a parallel investigation of its own. Fornell may not like it, but there really was no way he'd have been able to stop Gibbs' team from looking into the shooting of one of their own.

Fornell was also not sure where this intel was coming from. He had only received a message from Gibbs that a video conference had been requested for 1400 and that Tobias should be there as well. It was too mysterious for his taste and mysterious often made him nervous. But he showed up anyway and figured most of Gibbs' team would in on the call as well.

The FBI agent was surprised, however, when he found the victim himself at his desk. "I thought you were still out on medical leave, DiNozzo?" Fornell asked with more than a little suspicion.

"Condition of my reinstatement: I have to report in for paperwork, debriefing, all that fun stuff, once a week. Usually, Friday is my office day, but when Gibbs said there was some information that had been uncovered and you'd be popping in today, I thought it would be a great time for a three day weekend, get some more house hunting in," the younger man replied jovially.

"Great," came Fornell's less-than-enthusiastic response. He smelled a set-up from his good friend, he just knew it. "By the way, I haven't had the opportunity to congratulate you on your impending fatherhood. It's quite a...surprise."

Tony actually sounded gracious in his response. "Thank you. Quite a shock, it was, but now, I can't imagine things working out any differently than they had. Save for maybe getting shot, of course."

"Do you know what you're having yet?"

"It's a girl," Tony answered.

It kept getting better in Tobias' estimation. First, to learn that the normally immature Senior Field Agent was going to be a father, than to know that the ladies' man was having a daughter. Add to that the fact that the mother of his child was an ex-Mossad officer who could be a registered deadly weapon herself, and all he needed was the popcorn for a great show. "Daughters can be...tough. Especially as they grow up." He gave the younger man a wicked smile before moving on to business. "Where's Gibbs?"

"MTAC. We're supposedly going to be piped in for the debriefing about the Brotherhood of Doubt and their cells," DiNozzo answered as he got out of his chair. "McGeek's hooking it all up, Bishop's up there already, along with Gibbs, Vance and Ziva. I was told to wait here for you."

"Ziva's back as well?" Fornell had heard the scuttlebutt when David had left NCIS nearly a year ago that she was probably gone for good. Of course, that was before anyone knew about her and DiNozzo and the fact she was pregnant.

"Yeah, but only part-time. She did want to make a clean break a while ago, but please, can you picture her not working?" he said as they got to the elevator. "She's going to be more support staff now, backing up the team. Also a lot of working from home, but again, she heard you'd be dropping by."

They got upstairs and to the secured room. Just as Tony had said, the rest of the NCIS team was there. They were all in their seats, save for Gibbs, who was standing, and waiting for the blank screen to play for the conference. Tobias gave his friend a silent nod then thought it would be nice to the time and go greet Ziva. "How have you been? How's the baby?"

"We are both fine, but it has been more uncomfortable the last week or so," she said, accepting a friendly peck on the cheek. "I can't do the fitness routine I'm accustom to, which is frustrating."

"Wait until she's almost here. I could barely live with Diane the last month before Emily was born." Anything further was cut off by the big screen clicking to life, so Fornell moved to stand next to Gibbs and Vance.

Before the gathered group of FBI and NCIS appeared the face of Trent Kort. "Hello all, lovely to be working with you," the CIA operative said snidely. Tobias could tell he was outdoors and if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he'd swear it was a desert setting. He also noted the other man seemed to have two eyes, where he had been wearing an eyepatch due to an encounter with a CIA created serial killer.

"Kort, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Director Leon Vance asked, more evenly than Fornell would expect, though there was a hint of sarcasm laced into his greeting.

Fornell turned to Gibbs and they shared a look. This was not going to be good, they communicated silently, if the supposedly former CIA operative was involved, but the man had their exclusive attention right now.

"The agency, not wanting to be called uncooperative-" Kort began.

"Way too late for that, Trent, old buddy, old pal," Tony interrupted, his voice dripping with his special brand of snide, biting words.

Kort's eyes narrowed. "If you'll let me finish, the agency is being helpful in the hunt for not just the terror cell of the Brotherhood, but, as he seems to have gone to ground oversea, which it typically our area, I was tasked with leading the international search for your Lance Corporal Wren. Right now, I'm in the no-man's land that is the Afghan-Pakistan border." When there was no remarks were coming out of Washington, Kort added, "No one rush to thank me or anything."

"You being punished, Kort?" Gibbs asked.

"Because, I've never seen you doing the heavy lifting in the field," came the comment from Fornell.

Lips pursed, Kort took a moment to respond. "Call this me making amends." The snort that Fornell heard had to have come from DiNozzo. "I have a soft spot for kids and when word leaked about the upcoming bundle of joy Ms. David was expecting with Agent DiNozzo, I felt I should pitch in."

"And the real angle for you?" Jethro asked, apparently not buying it.

"The only angle for the CIA is to get another terrorist cell off the playing field. And this one is particularly nasty, since they seem to enjoy selling their services." Kort almost sounded genuine, not that Fornell believed it.

"So, Mr. Kort, do you have any information to impart to us?" Vance queried, bringing an end to the mutual suspicions that accompanied dealing with the CIA in general and this agent in particular.

"As a matter of fact, I have. A contact I've groomed has said the Brotherhood's headquarters across the border was visited by a Spanish-speaking fellow, which is an unusual language to get a translator for in this part of the world," Kort reported.

"Would make sense, if they're working with the Reynoso drug cartel," McGee disseminated.

"Anything on Wren himself?" Gibbs probed.

"Did you think it would be that easy? I haven't heard anything about him, but I have to get in touch with a few associates I know in Pakistan." Kort smiled. "See? I'm being more than helpful. So, I'll get back to my job and you get back to yours. Kort out."

"Why is it that anything involving the CIA invariably involves that guy?" Fornell groaned when the connection was cut.

"I don't know, Tobias, unluck of the draw?" Gibbs remarked.

"Do we trust him, Boss?" Tony asked his face pensive.

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Agent DiNozzo," Vance commented. "He's what the agency's providing in the way of help. I'm not about to look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it's coming from Langley."

"Well, if that's help, I wouldn't be sure if I'd want it," Fornell said. "By the way, the FBI got a tip about a drug bust up in Howard County. There's a chance it could be connected to Wren. He's from that area, right?"

Gibbs nodded. "Anything else you want to let us in on?"

"You know I can't go a month without stopping by for a chat, Gibbs." The reply was cheeky, but he couldn't help it. "Besides, I did want to check in on DiNozzo's status. I'm going to get back to the office and see if anything new has come through." He was making his way to the door, when he stopped. "Oh, and David, DiNozzo, my best wishes, again, on the baby and, from the looks of it, your engagement."

As the door closed behind him, the only sound he heard was McGee, high-pitched, squeaking out "WHAT?"


	63. Chapter 63

_Hurricane Abby's about to hit the DC area. We all knew it was coming. But I saved that fun for the next chapter. Yes, I am evil like that._

Ellie had been concentrating so hard on the conversation they had just finished with the CIA agent that, upon hearing the sound that emanated from McGee, she jumped clear off her chair. Gibbs seemed to notice her reaction, but turned his attention to McGee.

Tim saw him. "Sorry boss, but did Fornell just say-?"

Tony's head fell into his hand and Ziva began shifting in her seat, although Ellie noticed a smile creeping on her face. That was when Ellie finally saw the ring on her finger. Her eyes widened, but thought it best to remain silent.

McGee didn't. He calmed down by the time he spoke again, but there was still a stutter in his voice. "Tony, you and Ziva…?"

Tony removed his hand and looked at the younger agent. "Yes, McLovin', we are engaged."

Now Tim's head swung to Gibbs and Vance. "Did you know about this Boss...Bosses?"

Vance's eyes shifted to Gibbs. "Since you're the one with the rules, I'll let you deal with this, Gibbs." He turned and left the group to themselves, but Ellie could see the smirk on his face.

When the room was theirs, Gibbs turned his attention to McGee. "To answer your question, Tim, yes, I knew they were engaged. I'm surprised it took you this long."

"Wait, how long have they been engaged?" Tim still looked confused.

"We got engaged in Israel," Ziva finally confirmed.

"Congratulation," Ellie said at last. "That's great news, I'm happy for you." And she was. Over the past few months of working with Tony, she'd come to like him immensely and that feeling extended to Ziva when she had finally met the other woman.

"Thank you, Bishop," Tony replied. "And the boss is right, how come it took you so long to realize it? Ziva and I had a bet either you or Abby would figure it out first."

"Abby doesn't know yet?" It must have been Ellie's turn for the high pitched question. That could be a problem, knowing the forensic tech like she did.

"We actually had a bet going, which one would notice the ring first. We figured Gibbs' observation skills would have him notice, but his silence wouldn't let on to the fact. Quite frankly, I'm disappointed in both Timmy and Abby though," Tony told her.

The rest of the group exited MTAC with Tim still trying to absorb the news. "I just don't believe…"

"Believe what, McOblivious? That I could commit to someone, hmm?" That earned Tim a headslap.

Tim shook his head. "No, not that...I mean, I think it's obvious you and Ziva are committed. It's just, congratulations man!" he finally said, a broad smile on his face. "I'm happy for you two." He gave Tony a big hug, which the other man returned.

"Look, not right now, but you and I have something to talk about," Tony said.

"Yeah, and I have some things to talk about," Gibbs' voice boomed out from the landing. "Like why has Kort inserted himself in the middle of all this?"

"I think I need to be brought up to speed," Ellie said when they hit the main floor. "Who is Trent Kort anyway?"

Tim reached his desk and, after typing in a few commands, brought up a file on the man, which Tony expounded on. "Trent Kort, British national turned CIA agent. Our own personal resident pain in the ass. We've had run-ins with him for about six or seven years that have left a trail of bodies, and one of my cars, in their wake."

"He was a handler for the international arms dealer Rene Benoit, codenamed 'La Grenouille'. After Benoit was killed, Kort took over his operation for a time to maintain his cover," Ziva continued. "He's also been implicated in more black ops the CIA have run over the past decade or so."

"And now he's helping us?" Ellie asked.

"That's what he says, but I'd believe it more if it came from the devil himself," Tony snarked.

"This could be punishment, also, from the agency for his past failures," Tim suggested. "He's not the guy you think of for field work."

Gibbs didn't look like he agreed. "There has to be some connection between the Brotherhood and Kort, some advantage he can derive from it. Bishop-"

"On it. Looking up any connection between the two. And I'll reach out to contacts at the NSA, see if they've heard anything about Kort."

As Tony and Tim also got working, Gibbs ordered, "And Ziva, help her out. See if any of your sources have any information on this latest development,"

While parsing through information, with Ziva, Ellie's curiosity finally got the better of her on a few matters. She decided to tackle the comment about the car first. She figured it would be more comfortable, especially after McGee's reaction to the engagement news. "What was that about Tony's car?"

Ziva grew quiet, glancing over at Tony only briefly. "NCIS was running an op at the same time as the CIA was, with Tony undercover to infiltrate La Grenouille's inner circle. But, once it seemed he had made contact at last, we thought he had been killed. We all witnessed his car exploding on a street camera when he failed to report in after sending an emergency message."

"Oh, God!" Ellie whispered as she looked to Ziva.

But the other woman shook her head. "When Ducky was performing the autopsy, he noticed the burned up corpse had healthy lungs, which Tony would not have because of severe pneumonia he contracted once. Kort arrived here shortly after that revelation looking for him and Benoit, tossed a threat around and as he was about to leave, Tony popped out of the elevator," Ziva recounted. "Kort demanded to know where Benoit was but when he noticed he had three guns trained on him, he realized it was best if left without his answer."

Now Ellie understood the situation some more. "So that's why he's claiming to owe Tony, for those events."

"There have been others, but I do not believe that is the case. I think Gibbs is more correct, that there is something that Kort can use for himself." Ziva looked over to Tony again. "And if there is, I will be sure to extract my own revenge on Kort."

Ellie decided not to pursue a clarification on that and continued working until the sound of stomping drew her attention. Standing between her desk and Tony's was Abby, looking angrier than she had ever seen her.

Ziva's and Tony's eyes looked up at the goth, and knew what was to come. Abby's arms were crossed and her eyes narrowed. Then she swung towards Gibbs. He, too, seemed to see the storm brewing before Abby said anything. "Permission to pull Agents DiNozzo and David into a conference, sir," Abby asked formally.

The room grew quiet as all eyes fell on Gibbs. He took a deep breath before only nodding his consent. Abby looked back between Tony and Ziva and merely pointed to the elevator. Once the two marched in that direction, Abby followed and hit the button to open the doors, but before they went in, Tony called to Tim. "Boss, I have something I'd like to ask that I never thought I'd be asking. I would like to have the Elf Lord here to protect me, if that's possible."

Ellie saw Gibbs wave McGee in that direction and he scurried over, probably excited to see Tony and Ziva get a talking to from Abby.

Once the four were in, Ellie looked in Gibbs' direction with great concern. "I guess she found out," she said quietly.

"Well, the gossip was going to hit her lab sooner or later," Gibbs replied. Then as he looked back at the doors, a rare, bright smile appeared on his face. "Now's one of those times I wish we had cameras in there."

After a few minutes, they all heard Abby's voice, some of the staff walking by jumping at the sound. "Guess we don't need cameras after all," Gibbs said with a shake of his head.

This was one of the rarest moods Ellie had seen in Gibbs since she had begun to work at NCIS. It was such the opposite of his usual personality that Ellie couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up from her. She was surprised even further when her laughter was joined by Gibbs.


	64. Chapter 64

_Lesson of the day: It's best to go out to a good meal to smooth over ruffled feathers. And, of course, I had to have Tony remind McGee of his Best Man priorities._

 _I can see Abby beating herself up for not noticing the ring and I had fun with Tim's comment about Tony's life and the movies._

 _On a more somber note: It has been reported that the showrunner of NCIS, Gary Glasberg, passed away yesterday. Having read a lot of comments about him over the past few month, I know a lot of fans were not happy with the way he ended Ziva and then Tony on NCIS. I wasn't too pleased either. But in reading a few quotes he made post- "Family First" I do believe there was a method to his madness. I especially keep in mind his line about the dialogue being written very specifically. I don't know if he he had a particular line in mind, but there is one that sticks out like a sore thumb in the whole episode. For these reasons, I bear him no grudge. I feel he needed a good head slap, but I am saddened to read about his passing, as it seemed he was well loved on the production._

Ever since they had returned to DC, this had been the one thing that Ziva had concerns about. She knew that when Tim McGee realized they were engaged, he would be happy for the two of them and he had not failed in that assumption. But Abby...Abby was a different story.

Once inside the elevator, a random button was pushed to start it, but the emergency switch was flicked to stop it immediately after, by Abby. She just stood back and looked at the two of them before turning her attention to McGee. "So, how long have you known about this?" she asked, the irritation evident in her voice.

Tim's hands went up in an instant, a defensive posture that was accompanied by a slight look of panic. "Abby, I swear, I just learned about this myself. Fornell made a comment on his way out of MTAC-"

"Fornell!" Abby's voice vibrated off the metal walls of the elevator. "The FBI knew about your engagement before me?!" Now she sounded truly insulted.

"Abby," Tony began, trying to keep a reasonable level of calm to his voice. "We have been back from our trip for almost two weeks and you, nor McGee, have even noticed the ring on her finger. We can't be held responsible for you inattention to detail."

Abby yanked Ziva's hand at that and inspected the diamond. "It's...it's been there the whole time?"

Ziva nodded. "We got engaged while we were in Israel."

Now Abby seemed to melt. "Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness, you guys," she sputtered out. Then she grabbed Tony and Ziva in each arm and proceeded to squeeze them against her. When she finally broke away, tears were streaming down her face.

The embrace was interrupted by a bell. It seemed that there was someone waiting to use it themselves. Quickly, Abby turned off the emergency stop and hit the button for the third floor. The doors opened and the four returned to the bullpen.

Ziva could see Ellie looked surprised. Then she overheard the blonde saying under her breath, "That was quicker than I would have thought."

Abby must have heard her say that. "I'm still mad Fornell found out before me!"

Ziva knew Abby needed to be appeased. Pulling her aside as McGee and Tony stopped and turned towards them, she said, "Look, I do want to make it up to the two of you," Ziva's voice was unsteady as she spoke to both Abby and Tim. "Why don't we go out to lunch, yes? If you wish, you can continue to give us a trashing for not telling you right away."

"It's 'thrashing'," Tim corrected her, and receiving a head slap for it. He threw a dirty look to Tony, but replied to Ziva. "I'd love to be treated to lunch by the two of you."

"It's the least you owe me," Abby grumbled as she nodded in agreement. "But we pick the place."

Tony looked to Ziva, but she gave him an encouraging look. "Alright, why don't we just get this over with," he said at last.

"In light of the situation," Gibbs' voice was heard, as he seemed to magically appear next to them, "I'm giving you an hour and half before Abby and McGee have to be back here."

"Thanks, Boss," Tony said, a hint of nervousness and glee that Ziva recognized as his standard 'Gibbs' being nice, this is all wrong' tone.

"If you'd like to join us," Ziva offered, with her concerns he would feel excluded.

"No, this is something the four of you need to talk about," he said, a hint of intuition he knew what was going to be brought up in discussion. "Bishop and I are going to go chat with an old acquaintance of mine who may have some information about Kort." Then he headed back to his desk and grabbed his coat. When Bishop failed to join him, he yelled, "Hey, I know you were listening to us. Come on!"

Abby, Tim, Tony and Ziva left shortly after, heading to the Rooftop Grille at the Adams House. "Should have expected you to go for a pretty penny," Tony commented.

"I think you're getting off cheap, Tony," came Abby's snide retort. She hadn't even picked up her menu before she began the interrogation. "Okay, I want a blow-by-blow account of every detail. How, where, when, the story about the ring, everything."

Thankfully, the waiter came and took the orders from them before Ziva began the tale. "We went back to my family's olive grove, where Tony found me months ago. And as we were eating dinner there, he told me about how his parents got engaged."

"It was at a movie," Tony started to explain, until McGee guffawed. Throwing Tim a look, Tony frowned. "What's so funny about that? Lots of people get engaged at the movies."

"No, it's just that your whole life has literally revolved around the movies," he replied.

Shaking his head, Tony returned to his story. "Anyway, Dad snuck the ring onto my mom's finger."

"And Tony did that too!" Abby gushed.

"No, actually, I kind of got nervous the ninja here would whack me if I tried to be sneaky like that. So I told her my father had given me the ring before we left. When he did that, he told me I would know the perfect time to propose," he concluded, turning to Ziva for her add a part of the story.

"Then, Tony said he was getting scared he would lose the ring, and that it was safer on my finger, in a rambling fashion that sounded like you, Abby."

"She didn't actually answer me right away, which did make me a little nervous, but then there were some words of love spoken in foreign tongues and kissing, and the bet," Tony put in.

"The bet? What bet?" Abby asked.

Now it was McGee's turn to partake in the conversation. "Apparently, they thought either one of us would have seen the ring first."

"I mean, Abby, you can spot a spec of dust on a splinter. How could you miss a one carat ring?" Tony asked.

Abby looked horrified by what he was implying. "Oh my God, you're right!" Then, after she seemed to absorb that, she asked them, "Well, who was the first one to notice it?"

"Vance, and Gibbs. When we came in for the debriefing, Vance made a comment about Tony becoming a father and husband, and that Dr. Cranston thought he wasn't ready to come back just yet." But Ziva smirked at Tony. "At least about the good doctor's findings, he was joking, of course."

"And now that we got that over with," Tony interceded, "we did come here to ask you something specifically."

Tony let Ziva say her piece. "When we were in London, I confess, I had an urge to get married then and there." A look of alarm passed over Abby's and McGee's face, but Ziva hurried along. "Tony said we didn't have the correct paperwork to have it done properly and if we were to keep it a secret, it would not be for long, as we'd have to contact someone back here to have it sent to us. So, instead, we talked about what we wanted for our wedding."

Abby held up her hand. "Wait, you started planning your wedding already? How soon? What do you need done?"

Abby's questions would have continued, but Ziva stopped her. "Abby, it won't be for a while. We decided to wait until well after our daughter is born to get married."

"It'll be a year at least," Tony said. "But when we do get married," he turned to Tim. "McGee, despite how I've teased you-"

"More like harassed me, mocked me, humiliated me," he mumbled aloud.

Tony's eyes narrowed. "Will you let me finish? Despite all that, you really are my best friend and I'd like you to be my best man, when the time comes."

"Tony, I'd be honored," McGee replied simply, but unable to keep the smile off his face.

"You just have to promise me the bachelor party to end all bachelor parties," Tony tacked on.

There was a customary rolling of the eyes, but Tim seemed to agree. "I think I'll come up with something."

"And Abby-"

"Yes! Yes, I'll be your maid of honor and I will throw you a kick-ass bachelorette!" Abby was giddy with her answer.

The three others laughed, as Ziva figured it was obvious when they had asked the two to lunch. "I don't think it will be much bigger than this, but it's still in flush," she said.

"In flux, sweetcheeks, in flux," Tony, once again, fixing her idioms.

The waiter returned at last with drinks, and Tim raised his glass. "In honor of this happy occasion, I'd like to make a toast," he commenced. "To two of my best friends, on these momentous steps they are about to take. The very definition of opposites attracting." They clinked glasses, and Tim declared, "Now I'm going to have to work on my best man speech. Lucky for you, you have a best-selling author to give it."

"Bachelor party. More important," Tony reminded him, to the exasperation, and humor, of everyone else.


	65. Chapter 65

_This is the closest thing I'll ever get to a parent's dinner for Tony and Ziva. But I do think that this way is easier. I loved Schmeil when he appeared and he seems to enjoy teasing people as much as Senior does as well. We will, at some point, probably in any continuation of this timeline after I finish this story, see more of him._

In all of the flurry that the engagement announcement caused, it seemed that Ziva had forgotten to tell Tony one important thing, and only remembered it the next day.

"Schmeil has been in town for a few days," she told him the next morning, as they were heading to meet a realtor about one of the three places they had narrowed their search to.

Tony took a deep breath. Out of anyone connected to Ziva's life in Israel, he liked Schmeil the most. The affable elder, though no blood relation, had even seemed to like Tony fairly soon after their introductions, especially after he had told him he'd already met Senior. He was relieved that Schmeil hadn't held that against him. But Tony felt that may be changing. "What does he know?"

"It seems Aunt Nettie called him and told him, at the very least, that I am relocating to DC permanently and that we are a couple."

Tony's eyebrows raised at that. "She didn't say anything about the baby? The way she was crowing during our dinner with her, I'm surprised half of Tel Aviv doesn't know."

"He said that he was told by her to talk to us, that they were personal matters that were best left for us to discuss with him directly," she explained. "He did not, however, seem pleased with the fact he was the last to know about my move." Then she grew quiet, a grimace marring her mouth. "So I may have told him we would explain over dinner this weekend."

"We seem to be paying for out privacy with a lot of eating out," he mumbled. "Fine, give him a call and make the arrangements." Then he winced. "Just don't make it the Rooftop Grille. My wallet's still hurting from lunch with Abby and McGee."

A chuckle met his ears. "Yes, I do not think I have seem Abby down that much food in one sitting before."

It was Saturday evening, then, that the dinner with Ziva's family friend was to be. Tony was all ready to go and waiting for Ziva when there was a knock at Tony's door. He grumbled his way to answer it and let out a sigh when he saw his father on the other side.

"Dad, what are you doing here? It's not really a good time, Ziva and I have dinner reservations with a family friend of hers and we're in a rush to get there," he said hurriedly.

As usual, Senior seemed to not hear a word he said, except for the words 'dinner reservation'. "That's great, Junior. Where? I'd love to meet a friend of hers. I'll join you!"

"Dad, no, I don't think it's a good idea," Tony backtracked, head slapping himself for opening his big mouth that much.

"What's not a good idea, Tony?" Ziva asked as she emerged from the bedroom. "Oh, hello Senior."

"Junior here was just telling me you were meeting a friend of yours for dinner and I was just wondering if I could tag along. I would love to get to know someone who's known you from back when," the older man replied smoothly. Almost too smoothly for Tony's taste.

Tony tried to shoot Ziva an unspoken message about turning him down, but she seemed to be at a loss for words and taken in once more by his charms. "It is not a bad idea," she defended. "And Schmeil is an important person in my life that I think we should have your father join us. Besides, remember they have already met."

Tony had been leaning on the front door of his apartment the whole time, so his head seemed to fall forward onto it, a reaction to his father and Ziva. He let out a few indistinguishable curses before turning to them. "Fine, fine, but Dad, I swear, you'd better be on your best behavior. He has this idea that you're this charming, dashing man-about-town."

"What trouble could I cause?" he asked as he swept his arm out into the hallway for Ziva to lead them. "But please, I need a little bit of a 411 before we get to the restaurant. By the way, you didn't answer my other question. Where are we going? Putting on the ritz for Schmeil, was it? I'd go with the Rooftop Grille."

Tony knew this was a bad idea. The whole way to the restaurant, the pit in his stomach grew larger and larger in anticipation of this meeting of two men important in both their lives. "The only thing that would make this worse is if Gibbs were to show up," he growled to Ziva under his breath.

"What was I supposed to do, tell him no?" she shot back, her voice as hushed as possible.

"Yes. That's exactly what you tell him." Another sigh.

"It won't be that bad, Tony," Ziva assuaged. "I'm sure your father will be his usual charming self and he and Schmeil will hit it out. They seemed to be on the right foot already."

"It's 'hit it off' and 'be off on the right foot'," Tony muttered. Sometimes, he thought she only missaid idioms to tease him.

Senior was naturally disappointed that the restaurant was not the Rooftop Grille, but it was just as a nice place. They were shown his seats and waited until Schmeil arrived to order drinks. Then he did walk in, Ziva stood to greet him. "Schmeil Pinkhas, I'm sure you remember Tony DiNozzo," she reintroduced him. Schmeil gave Tony a firm handshake.

"Tony, it is good to see you once again, and under happier circumstances," Schmeil replied with a smile.

"Good to see you too, sir." A nod of his head went along with the acknowledgement. He waved his hand over to his father. "Schmeil, you said that you've already met, but again, this is this my father, Anthony DiNozzo, Senior. Dad, Schmeil Pinkhas."

"A pleasure to meet with you again. I was just stopping by my son's apartment when they told me they were meeting you and they invited me to come along," Senior said smoothly, laying it on extra thick.

Tony let out a low groan, which got him a shot a across his chest from Ziva, but ignored by the two other men.

They retook their seats and drinks arrived when the conversation really began. "So, Ziva, Nettie tells me you are at last putting down your roots here in America," Schmeil stated ominously, a sound that seemed at odds with the kindly man he'd met a few times. "I can see there is one obvious reason for that."

"Schmeil, let me explain," came her stuttered response.

But he would let her get another word in. "You were intending on marrying her, right young man?" Schmeil shot out at him.

"Well, sir, it's like this-"

Again, Schmeil took over the conversation. "What kind of man did you raise, Mr. DiNozzo? That he would leave her pregnant-"

Now it was Tony's turn to interrupt. "You don't know the story, sir, so don't make assumptions." His gaze shifted to Ziva, who looked stunned by her friend's outburst. "I didn't want to leave her. I did everything in my power to make her come back with me months ago."

"Tony's right," Ziva kept going. "I was questioning so much of myself since Abba's death. I had my own demons to work through. And then, when I did learn I was pregnant, I was seized by a fear that Tony would not accept me, accept our child."

"Which was crazy." Tony placed his hand over Ziva's, a small smile on his face. "I was a wreck after she left. I felt like I was lost and quite frankly I didn't want to be found, not by anyone who was around." His gaze now fell on Schmeil, trying to gauge what he was thinking. "And I almost was. I was shot and in a coma, the night Ziva arrived back in DC."

"I went to visit my former colleagues at NCIS when the call came in that Tony was being transported to the hospital. And my world shifted again." Ziva's voice was little more than a whisper. Tony could see she was getting pulled back into the abyss she had been fighting since her return. "It was tense for a few days, but as you see, he has come through."

"Well, I'm still in rehab and I've been ordered to stay on part-time until after the baby's born. It did make us confront our relationship, as crazy as it's been all these years. But in the end, we decided we couldn't do it without each other," Tony declared. Then he waited for a reaction.

Schmeil's attention switched back to Senior. "You did say your son could be eloquent," came the surprising comment.

It was then that a realization hit Tony. "You knew he was in town, Dad! I knew there was something up when you happened by and insisted on coming."

Ziva looked confused. "How did you even locate each other?"

"He said he had his sources, which is code for something I don't think I want to know. But, suffice it to say, yes, we have already met and wanted to have a little fun with the two of you," came his father's response. "What, Junior? You can dish it out, but you can't take it?"

Tony felt a breath escape him he didn't know he was holding. "Then were all cool?" When both men nodded to the affirmative, he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. But it did relieve the tension he'd been sensing. "Well, good," he decided at last.

"As a matter of fact," Schmeil admitted, "I knew all about the child you are expecting, even before we met."

"Aunt Nettie." Tony didn't have to guess. "See, I told you she made the announcement to the city."

"Schmeil, I am sure all of this seems sudden, but I can assure you, it has been building for quite some time," Ziva maintained. "I will admit, there was a...spark...the first time I met him."

"There was something," Tony agreed. "And I did want her to return with me. I practically begged her, but she's stubborn."

"That I know." Schmeil looked to Ziva and Tony knew he was probably remembering times long past. "And I am happy for you, the both of you. I am happy that you will be parents, and I am happy for your engagement." He pointed to the ring. "I noticed it the moment I saw you, Ziva."

"Then we have your blessing?" It wa Ziva who made the request, and Tony could tell it was important to her.

"Of course, child. All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. And I can see that this man, he may frustrate you, annoy you, tease you, but that he loves you so much and it is a love you deserve," Schmeil expressed. "Look to the future, Tony, Ziva, for it is a blessed one."

When he finished, Senior raised his glass. "A toast, then, to a happy future."

They clinked glasses as Tony smiled to Ziva. That made her lean into him and whisper, "I was right. This was a good thing."

"I'm never doubting you again," he said before giving her a kiss.


	66. Chapter 66

_I don't think there has been much Tim/Ziva time in this story and he has some things that he needs to talk with her about. He is truly the little brother of the team and all he wants is for both of these people he loves to be happy._

 _And it was fun to have Tony and Delilah to tease the two of them. Plus, Delilah continuing to do so as they leave._

"Okay, give me that address again," Tim said, his phone being held to his shoulder by the left side of his head. "Okay...got it. Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can. Remember, I'm not Gibbs or Ziva. What's the rush anyway?" The volume of the voice on the other end nearly made him lose his grip on the mobile. "Fine, see you soon." He ended the call on a sour note.

"Who was that?" a feminine voice asked from behind him. Tim turned and saw Delilah wheel herself into the living room of his apartment. She'd stayed overnight and they had just finished breakfast. "Was it Gibbs? A new case?" There was a hint of disappointment as she asked, since they had planned to spend the day together.

"No, Tony. He gave me an address and asked me to be there in a hour. Say he wants me to look at something," Tim replied. "But he invited you to come too, since you're here with me."

"What the address?"

"It's in Ashburn," he said as he read the street. "You want to come? He wasn't very forthcoming with his information, so knowing Tony, it could be any number of things, including planting seeds for his bachelor party."

"Sure, why not? You know I do love a good mystery," she told him with a smile.

"Good thing you're dating a best-selling author then," he replied as he bent down to kiss her.

They headed out and got to the place in just under an hour. Tim wasn't surprised to see that is was a neighborhood of new developments. Loudon County had grown exponentially in the last decade. He saw Tony's car in the driveway as they pulled up but before he got out of the car, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

'What's so funny?" Delilah narrowed her eyes with her question.

When he finally got himself under control, he answered, "I think Tony and Ziva are about to be Stepforded. It's something I'd never thought would happen to him." They got out of the car as Tony stepped out onto a low porch.

"What took you so long, McGoo?" he called out as they made their way up to path to the house.

"We got here in less than the time you demanded, Tony," Tim spat at him when the got into the house. It was a single family, brand new construction, all top of the line amenities. "Nice place."

"Thank you, McGee," Ziva called out from the kitchen. "We just bought it."

"Congratulations!" Delilah said cheerfully. "It looks great."

As she and Ziva wandered into the kitchen, Tony led Tim into a room in the back. "This is why I called you here."

"That's not the only reason, Tony!" Ziva yelled after hearing his comment.

"Fine," came a sharp response. "This is one of the reason I called you here." Then in a softer voice, he added, "But it's the more important one."

McGee took another look around the room. It's windows were high and narrow, not allowing a lot of sun in. It was on the big side, with a large wall perpendicular to the sides with the two windows. Once he got a full picture of the space, it clicked in his brain. "Tony, we already had this conversation years ago!" His memory flashed to a morning in the bullpen when Tony was trying to wheedle Tim's skills out of him.

"Come on, McGee, think about it. Is this room not perfect for a home theater! Not much natural light, big enough for like a sixty-five inch flat-screen. Think about it, McGee, it can be your wedding present to us," Tony tried to coax out of him.

"I thought you told us you weren't getting married for a while," Tim reminded him.

"Okay, engagement present." That was Tony's next attempt at persuasion, but Tim shot it down with merely a headshake. "Housewarming?" the Senior Field Agent tried weakly. Again, Tim would not budge.

That was when Ziva stuck her head into the room. "If you are finished trying to cajole McGee into setting up your man forest, I'd like to show him the space for our home office."

"Ziva, I would love to consult with you on that," he accepted sweetly, as he allowed Ziva to lead the way. But just before he was out of sight, Tim made sure to throw the other man a saccharine smile, which Tony stuck his tongue out at before yelling "And it's mancave, sweetcheek!"

Tim and Ziva talked for a while Tony showed Delilah around a little more. When they were out of earshot, he asked Ziva how everything was going. Since Ziva had shown up in the bullpen the night of the shooting, it hadn't been the two of them alone at all and Tim just wanted to check in with his friend in the midst of all these life-changing moments. "So how have you been?" he stammered out. "Everything's been crazy and I just wanted to check in with you. Because Tony wasn't the only one who missed you, you know that?"

Ziva offered him an understanding smile. "I know he wasn't the only one, McGee. In truth, I...I screwed up. After Tony left Israel, as the plane was flying off really, I regretted not going with him. And I missed you, all of you. But I was stubborn, and I thought it was for the best. But there were times I wanted to pick up the phone and call you, Abby, Ducky, and I couldn't. I just, I needed to be given a sign."

"The baby," he said to her. "But it still took you months to come back?"

"Did I mention I was stubborn?" She offered him a pleading look. "I warred with myself for those months. And then the time dragged on and I thought, day by day, I had ruined everything. I had ruined any chance of Tony accepting me, accepting being a father. I thought I had lost your trust in me. But still there was this little voice, telling me to at least try. And that was when I listened."

"I didn't realize any of that," he told her. "Ziva, you would have always been forgiven, even though you didn't do anything wrong." He could see she was going to protest that, but he didn't let her. "Ziva, you needed time. I knew you were in pain. I knew that when we were chasing Bodner. And I'm sure whatever you were going through in Israel was an outgrowth of that."

"There were other factors, but that was the start of all of it," she admitted to him. "Then our resignations, and then the attack by Parsa's men. It snowplowed and I wanted to hide from the world. But Tony, Tony found me. He _saved_ me, at least from that pit." With that, she touched her stomach. "In truth, he saved me from so much more."

Tim could see shades of the old Ziva emerging as she spoke. She was never the most open person, but in the years since the escape from Somalia, the cracks had shown through, revealing a very different woman who had been transferred to NCIS all this years before. "Well, then I do thank DiNozzo for that," he said as he gave her a hug.

"Thank me for what, Probie?" Tony's voice resonated through the empty house as he and Delilah appeared in the room that was to be the home office. "Oh, so this is what's going on? See, I told you we can't leave them alone for too long."

"Yeah, I was getting suspicious of what was taking so long to discuss computer hook-ups," she agreed, a twinkle in her eyes.

"Computer hook-ups, or other kinds?" Tony asked, licking his lips as if he'd caught an inappropriate moment.

When one time Tim would have jumped back, stuttering apologies for what he thought he'd done wrong, he was now used to this aspect of Tony's teasing. "Please, I'm in a committed relationship and she's as big as a…" He knew how he was going to end that sentence, and he knew it would come to no good. "I mean, not that you're not glowing...and...for a pregnant woman you look as stunning as ever and…"

Three sets of eyes narrowed at him and he caught on that he'd been set up, once again, by Tony. "I think this is where we say goodbye, Tim," Delilah rescued him from any further embarrassment. "But I do have one more question. When do you close on this place?"

"Uh, in three weeks actually. They're selling these places like hotcakes and want everything done as quickly as possible," Tony answered.

"Okay, that's good to know," Delilah replied before turning back to Tim. "Ready to get going there?

"Yes, I think I am." Tim offered a peck on the cheek to Ziva and a handshake to Tony, before returning to their car. On the way back to the city, Tim got around to asking her why she wanted to know when the sale would be finalized.

"I've been tasked by Abby to find a place for the party, and since I know Ziva knows about the party, I was thinking we could have it there, make it a housewarming as well," Delilah explained. "And about housewarmings…" Tim saw the look he was getting and didn't like it. "I think that room is great for a home theater. You should get it all connected for him."

Tim let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. He was right, he didn't like it.


	67. Chapter 67

_I had to have at least an appearance by Jackson in the story. He always seemed to enjoy himself around Team Gibbs and they loved having him visit. And I know he'd give the baby a little present. He will be greatly missed by NCIS as his portrayer, Ralph Waite, is still missed._

Of course, life didn't stop because Gibbs' team has a case that was unresolved. Over the next few weeks, the suspicious death of a Navy lieutenant, drug-running onboard an aircraft carrier and an embezzlement scheme all crossed their desks and were all solved with ease. The arrest in the murder actually made Gibbs smile, as Tony kept haranguing the team with his mantra that always came up in these incidents, the wife did it. Tony showed he was back in the game, just not physically, by being right and Gibbs made sure the collar came down on his "office" day, so he could give Tony the satisfaction of making the arrest himself, even if it went against the "no fieldwork" clause in place for him.

It was after the murder case that Gibbs had decided to bring his father down to Virginia for at least a visit. Jackson Gibbs hadn't had any further falls, and put up a little fight with him about leaving the store, but he seemed to have found a young man who worked with him, who promised he would contact Jackson twice a day with reports on business while he was away. That was the week of the embezzlement case thankfully, and most of that was handled by McGee and Bishop, with backup from Tony and Ziva, as some of the money seemed to be funneled overseas. None seemed to go in the direction of the Brotherhood, unfortunately, although Bishop seemed determined to make that connection.

The second night of his father's stay, Gibbs heard the front door open and his father greeting his visitors. He listened closely to identify who arrived and then headed up from the basement. He wanted to make sure no one came down there and saw what he was up to, save for one or two he let know.

"Look who's come to see us, Leroy," Jack announced. "Tony, my boy, it is good to see you. And Ziva, I must say, you are glowing. Leroy's told me all your happy news and I am as pleased as he is."

Gibbs made sure he schooled his features, just so he could continue to act professional. He was contented with all that had happened, in spite of his own rules. And he knew that, in the end, he had no say in how DiNozzo or David lived their lives. He knew from the summer that Ziva was presumed dead, that Tony's feelings for her had grown as strong as any he had felt for Shannon. That was reassurance enough for him.

Tony seemed to get that Jack was exaggerating a bit in his buoyant sentiments, but he didn't dissuade the older man's opinion. "Thank you, Mr. Gibbs," the Senior Field Agent said, a smile on his face.

"What brings you by, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"Ah, well, boss, we know that Jackson...I mean Mr. Gibbs, your father, hasn't been feeling well and we just wanted to come by and say hi," Tony stammered.

"We have all been concerned about your health, sir, and wanted to see how you were enjoying your visit," Ziva added.

"I've just gotten a little klutzy in my old age, Miss David, nothing else. But I appreciate the concern. And I always like seeing Leroy's people," his father informed her.

Of course, Gibbs knew it was more than just carelessness and that was why he was still working in trying to get his dad to consent to a move. But the old codger was still battling him on it, refusing to leave Stillwater in the face of a lot of problems.

"Leroy, I know I taught you better than this," his father called to him. Gibbs turned his attention over to the man, and his father nodded towards the kitchen. "Why don't you offer your guests something to eat or drink?"

"Well, that's not necessary, Mr. Gibbs. I mean, we all know there's not much around but a steak or two and some beer and bourbon," Tony replied lightly.

"Still, he could offer," Jack insisted.

Gibbs' huffed out a breath. No way this would be let go. "Would either of you like something to drink?" he asked at last. Then, with a sideways glance to his father, he added, "I was just going to have a beer."

Tony looked from father to son and it looked like he saw the message Gibbs was trying to get across, that of, 'just appease the old man, because I'll never hear the end of it if you leave without something.' "Sure boss, a beer would be nice. Ziva?"

"Ah, no beer for me, but a glass of water would be nice," she said, also seeing the look.

"What, no sip at least? His mother allowed herself a shot of bourbon a week when she was pregnant," Jackson recalled when Gibbs returned to the living room. Then he looked at his son. "Maybe that explains somethings."

Tony had taken a sip of his beer and nearly choked on it with that comment, which of course garnered a look from Gibbs. But Ziva chuckled. "Ducky said a similar thing to me, that his mother had a glass of scotch every day and two on Sundays when she was pregnant."

"Good woman," Jackson grinned.

"You didn't have to stay with her for twelve hours," Tony muttered. "Still can't see a corgi without jumping out of it's way."

Gibbs shot DiNozzo a look, then saw his father's confusion at the reference. "It was a case from years ago, Dad," he explained, without explaining, trying to close the subject.

There was a prolonged silence until Tony piped up. "So, Mr. Gibbs, how long are you planning on staying this time?" Gibbs' team knew how much he hated being away from Stillwater and the general store, so it was a reasonable question.

"Well, if it were up to my son, I'd stay down here permanently," Jackson told them, throwing an evil eye Gibbs' way.

"Dad, we've talked about this, as has your doctor." Gibbs didn't want to get into this now, especially not with these two here. Difficult father/child relationships seemed to be a hallmark of his team. Admiral McGee was a domineering figure, not entirely accepting of his son's choices or achievements. Tony's father was charming, in fact, a little too charming at times for Gibbs' liking. Eli David still cast a shadow over his daughter, as much in death as in life.

And they all knew how his relationship was with his father. He didn't want to rehashing any of this now.

"Well, Mr. Gibbs, your son is concerned for your well-being," Ziva said, trying to broker what looked like a fierce debate between father and son. "I know you were estranged for many years and now that you have reconnected, he just wants to ensure you have many years together still."

"I've managed quite well on my own. Besides, I don't like getting underfoot of anyone, much less my son." The pronouncement seemed final.

When Tony tried to argue further, Gibbs stopped him, saying to his father, "Dad, you want me to get that gift you wanted to give them?"

Tony's eyes brightened at the question. "You got us something?"

"That was very sweet," Ziva added as Gibbs hurried upstairs to the room Jackson was staying in.

When he returned, he handed the package to his father to pass on to the couple. "I'm sure that you'll be having some sort of shower in the near future. I get a sense that Abby'd be the one to bring it together. But, I'll probably be back in Stillwater when it's held and since you stopped by now, I guess it's as good a time as any to give this to you."

Ziva took the package, a narrow box wrapped in pink paper with lambs on it, and carefully undid the tape. Once that was completed, she lifted the lid and brought out what looked like a picture frame.

"I have a...lady friend who does ceramics and she made this by hand, for me to give to you. It's for your daughter's first picture and a little footprint they'll probably do at the hospital," he explained.

'This is...so lovely," Ziva said, her voice little more than a whisper. "For the thought and the gift." She stood to give him a kiss on each cheek and when she sat back down, his face glowed as it had when he said goodbye to the team in Stillwater.

Tony also expressed his gratitude before Gibbs signaled him it was time to go. Tony got the message loud and clear and they said their goodbyes. Once the door closed, Gibbs just looked at his father.

"You could have been a little more welcoming, Leroy," his father scolded him.

Gibbs smiled. "If I was any more polite, Tony would get nervous," he told him.

His father seemed to accept that. "And what are you getting their daughter?" he asked after a moment.

"Who says I'm…" But his father knew him well, even after all the years of separation. "Some hand-me-downs, nothing else."

"Hand-me-downs?" his father asked, a little surprised. But after an intent stare, his father got the drift. "They're still in good shape?"

"They haven't been touched since Diane packed them away, and she said she made sure to clean them before that," was Gibbs' reply.

His father gave him a sad smile. "That's very touching. I'm sure they will appreciate the sentiment. And I know Kelly would have loved it."

Jethro had that feeling too. Over her short life, Kelly had been like that, sharing her toys and clothes with friends. Kelly wasn't that much younger than Ziva and he was sure that if she were alive, they would have been good friends. And he knew Shannon would have offered up their daughter's things as well, wanting to share them with people who were close to him.

Those were the people they were, loving and caring. And he missed them terribly, every day.


	68. Chapter 68

_All systems a go, it seems, for the party. And I think it's safe to say Abby knows how to throw a party. Not everyone may be happy with it, and some know she'll bug them about showing up, and still others realize they've been roped in, but she doesn't really care._

Ziva gave Abby a call when the closing was done for the new house. She wanted to show it to her, Ellie and Jake, the Palmers and Ducky. Tim also came, although he already seen the place and of course brought Delilah along. So they had a little, impromptu housewarming party, which gave Abby ideas.

The next day at the office, Abby was waiting for Tim when he arrived at his desk. "Timmy, I need your help," she told him in no uncertain terms.

Abby could see the look of nervousness flash in his eyes. But when he asked, he tried to come off as the exact opposite. "Ah, what do you need help with Abby?"

She smiled wickedly and now he was looking scared. "I have everything I need for the baby shower, but I still don't have a location for it. And you're going to help gain access to one."

"Abby, what are you talking about?" Now he added a look of confusion to his face.

"Ziva said they weren't going to be moving into the new place until three weeks from Friday, right? Well, that gives us time," she replied cryptically. When he still hadn't caught on, she said with a roll of her eyes, "We're going to have it at their new house a week from Sunday."

"Uh, aren't things like this supposed to be surprises? How are you planning on pulling it off?" he asked.

"Actually, McGee, she knows all about the party," Ellie called over as she entered the bullpen. Abby threw her a look, but the blonde merely shrugged. "Come on, are you telling me that an intelligence operative of her skills who is also," Ellie paused for a minute, "a super ninja, as Tony would say, hasn't figured out that you'll be throwing her a baby shower?"

"How would she know that? It's not like like she's told me anything about the baby or that we've seen out shopping on off days or...or…" But Abby knew the jig was up. Then she asked, "How did you figure it out?"

"Maybe when you sent out the registry list or the pre-invitation invitations? Or when I was going over information she had gotten and she let it slip?" Ellie came over to Abby and put her hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but it was one of the worst kept secrets."

"Uh, I still don't see why you need me?" Tim brought the attention of both women over to him.

"Oh, well, Delilah told me Tony gave you a key to the house. Something about you doing his home theater system and I figured you'd have that all in place by the time they were ready to move in, so I figured you could let me and maybe Breena and Kayla in to set everything up for the non-surprise surprise baby shower."

"I never said I was going to do the home theater!" Tim looked miffed now. "So he's now basically forcing me to do it for him?"

"Well, yeah, McGee. How else did you think Tony was going to manipulate you into his plan?" Gibbs said as he entered the bullpen. "Got a body at Quantico, let's get a move on."

As Tim and Ellie gathered their things and headed to the elevator, Abby pulled at Gibbs' arm to make him stop for a minute. "Wait, Gibbs!" He halted his stride and turned to her. "You are going to be there for the party, right?" She gave him an expectant look, pleading with him to for once join them outside of the office.

"Abby, you know my dad's got me running back and forth. There's no telling when something's going to happen with him and he's still being stubborn about leaving," he reminded her, giving her an exasperated look that was meant to get his point across.

"Have him come down and join us for the party! I know Tony and Ziva would love for him to see him," she said jovially.

But Gibbs spread his arms out. "Abbs…" She gave him her best pout, hoping it would seal the deal, but he shook his head. Finally he offered a compromise. "Okay, I'll try." Then he gave her a peck on the cheek before telling her, "And try not to get arrested for trespassing while throwing this party, okay?"

She smiled at him as he walked away, her answer given.

After they were gone, she scurried down to lab and sent a text to Kayla, telling her all systems were a go. She put a call into Breena, who was busy but promised to call back and lastly, she dialed Diane's number.

"Yes, Abby," came the unpleasant greeting, but Abby chose to ignore it.

"We have everything set," she informed the other woman shortly, giving her the date and location.

"That soon!" she yelled into the phone. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Have you gotten everything I told you to?"

"Well, yes, I do-"

"And I spoke to Breena for a minute and I know she has everything she needs. I spoke to Kayla a few days ago and she told me all's good on her front. There aren't many people outside of all of us that need to know time and date, so what's the problem?"

"It's just...I don't see how…" There was a muffling sound on the other end and then what sounded like a shout, and then Diane was back. "Fine, you have a point. Just let me know the final arrangements and I'll send out the word. But I have one question. Where are we having the party?"

"At Tony and Ziva's new place before they move in. Tim's got a key so we can sneak in the night before and arrange anything we can ahead of time," Abby explained. At that, she ended the call before the redhead went nuclear with the plan.

A few hours later, Gibbs stopped by the lab and dropped off evidence for her. That was a sign that they were all back so, she headed down to autopsy to fill in Ducky and Jimmy.

"Oh, that's a lovely idea," Ducky told her when she informed him of the plans. "I will be sure to set the date aside in my diary."

Abby told Jimmy she had spoken to his his wife and all was set on that front. Jimmy nodded and also expressed excitement at the prospect of the party.

It seemed that everything was set. They had a date, they had a place. Now, all that matter was distracting the couple (at least Tony) enough to bring it all together. And Abby knew that was the least of their problems.


	69. Chapter 69

_This is a little tip of the hat to the other arrival for an NCIS team member, although I was kind of sad I couldn't incorporate how it went down on the show in my story. But I wanted an acknowledgement of the Palmers soon-to-be daughter._

 _I also wanted to throw in the bit about Ducky's brother. It's a thread I may tug at a little ways down the road, in another story, so this is kind of a set up for that. And the thing about Mrs. Mallard not liking gift registries is pretty much a rip off of my late grandmother's complaint. Which works, as my grandmother was about a year old than Ducky's Mummy._

"This is most unusual," Ducky said to Jimmy Palmer, as he sat in front of the computer on his desk.

Palmer peered over his boss' shoulder. "Actually, Dr. Mallard, it's not that uncommon. Not now, anyway. I've been to a few myself."

"And?" the older man asked inquisitively.

"It's kind of to make the father feel like he's part of the experience of the baby's arrival," Mr. Palmer replied, nodding to the e-vite that was on the screen. It had been sent by Abby earlier in the day and Ducky was only now getting a chance to read it over.

He harrumphed a little bit. "In my day, they didn't even have such things. I remember my mother was once invited to a baby shower. It noted where the couple were registered. She felt it was most uncouth to direct the guest as to what to buy," he told his assistant.

"Well, it's more to prevent people from buying two of the same thing. I remember when we had a little shower…" At that, his voice trailed off and his gaze seem lost.

Ducky knew it still hurt, the fact that the mother had chosen to keep the child Jimmy and Breena were going to adopt. Breena, bright and loving person that she was, was still optimistic about the prospect of them becoming parents, but at times, Jimmy did not. It must have been hard when he learned that Anthony and Ziva had unexpectedly found themselves in the position the Palmers had planned on.

"I have an idea. Is Breena available?" Her business was very on call, so it could become very busy for her very quickly.

"Well, she didn't actually go in today. She woke up and didn't feel well, so she called in sick," he informed Ducky. "As a matter of fact, I think I'll give her a call."

Before he stepped away, Ducky said, "If she's feeling better, see if she's available for lunch. I think I may go and purchase my present for the baby and I think I'd like a woman's opinion."

Palmer nodded and went to make the call. He came back a few minutes later. "She says she feels much better, thinks it may have been food poisoning. The fish we had last night didn't sit right with either of us. And she said she'd be thrilled to help you pick out a present."

When lunch rolled around, Ducky and Jimmy met his wife at a baby boutique in Georgetown. Ducky was adamant that he would not buy something off the registry. He wanted to give Tony and Ziva's daughter something that was more personal and knew of the shop because he tended to pass it on the way to a local bakery. He had always admired the items on display in the window, but he never had a need to enter until now.

Once inside, Breena began parsing through racks and shelves filled with clothes and blankets. She pulled out a pink cashmere blanket to show him.

"No, my dear, as I feel they will be receiving one already," Ducky dissuaded, remembering the comment made about Gibbs and a box of his daughter's possessions.

"Should have gone with a registry item," Jimmy called, having heard the comment.

Breena smiled apologetically, then pulled Ducky over to another corner of the store. "Actually, Dr. Mallard, I'm glad Jimmy called me to join you. I had actually been at the doctor's office when the phone rang."

Ducky raised his eyes at that. He took a quick glance back at his assistant, looking at a tiny pink dress and seeming to not pay much attention to either of them. Then Ducky grew concerned. "Mr. Palmer mentioned you'd been feeling unwell. I didn't realize it had been so serious. Have you told him?"

"Oh, it's not serious. Well, not like that," she began, before taking a breath. "It's just, I actually haven't been feeling well for a few days. So, after Jimmy left for work this morning, I ran an errand and then I called the doctor," she hinted very heavily.

Ducky's eyes widened. "Oh, I understand! Yes, well, don't you think you ought to tell your husband?"

"I will, yes, of course. But I was wondering if you could help me a little bit there." She looked over at Ducky and saw that Jimmy was still occupied elsewhere. "I was planning on buying something, say a little extra gift. Then when we leave, we can do the old accidental package switcheroo so I go home with a way to tell Jimmy."

Ducky had an idea of what she was talking about. "I saw a rather lovely onsie over there, gender-neutral, as they say. I think I'll give that as my gift," he told her with a wink.

"And don't you think this outfit is adorable, Dr. Mallard?" She held up a box pre-packaged with a top, bottom, booties and a cap, all in a couple of shades of pink.

"I think that is lovely," he replied, a conspiratorial smile on his face.

With Mr. Palmer still rather oblivious to them, they made their purchases but when Ducky saw just how little attention they were being paid, he simply grabbed her bag and she grabbed his. "Come along, Mr. Palmer. I think I am getting rather peckish," he called over.

When they left the shop, Breena grabbed her stomach. "Oh, you know, Jimmy, honey, I just got a bad feeling in my stomach. I don't...I don't think I could handle lunch. I think I'll head back home."

"Are you okay? Maybe you should go see the doctor," Jimmy said, a little worried.

"You know, I think I'll do that," she said before giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Dr. Mallard, it was lovely to see you again. I am so sorry I can't join you for lunch."

"I quite understand, my dear," he said in reply. "Go home and have a nice cup of chamomile. Doctor's orders, alright?" Then he gave her a wink.

"I'll be sure and do that." She said one final goodbye and headed in the direction of her car.

Jimmy watched her until she was no longer visible, then turned back to his boss. "I am little worried about her," he said. "She says she just started feeling sick, but I know it's been a few day, maybe even a week. I hope it's nothing serious."

"Well, I have heard there is a touch of a flu going around. All she needs is rest, I'm certain, and she'll be right as rain soon," he said aloud. But to himself, he rolled his eyes. Jimmy Palmer was excellent at his job, with still more potential. But there were times that the young man's investigative skills, something very important to his job, were sorely lacking.

The rest of the day passed and Ducky returned to his townhouse. After fixing himself some dinner, he sat down and opened a book. He wasn't halfway down the first page when his phone blared to life. He smiled when he saw the name on the screen. As nonchalantly as possible, he picked it up. "Yes, Mr. Palmer, what can I do for you at this hour in the day?"

"You little stinker! You knew!" he cried excitedly.

Still feigning ignorance, he asked, "What in the blazes are you talking about?"

"Breena! She told you didn't she? When we were in the shop today?"

Ducky knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer but pushed it a little more. "Mr. Palmer, speak plainly or else I shan't have an idea what you are talking about."

"Breena! She's pregnant! She told you, didn't she?" It seemed the young man hadn't caught on to the doctor's tone, so overjoyed by the news.

Then Ducky decided to concede. "Yes, Jimmy, your wife told me she had already seen the doctor this morning, but she asked to keep it a secret." Now Ducky smiled broadly, knowing how down he had been even earlier today when he remembered the failed adoption, and how different a few hours could change things.

"I'm going to be a father! I can't believe it! Can you believe it?"

"Yes, I can. And I am so pleased for you and you lovely wife. Again, extend her my hearty congratulations."

They hung up the phone with more best wishes. Jimmy said he'd tell the team in the morning and Ducky promised he'd be there when the news was broken. Ending the call, he he got up and reached for another book that was on the shelf.

But this one was a false one, one that held a secret He opened it and took out a picture, probably forty years old, of a blonde haired man in a military uniform and a young boy, smiling brightly at the camera. He sighed deeply, before replacing the picture and the book.

He was happy for Jimmy and Breena, just as much for Tony and Ziva, but it did bring up terrible memories for him, ones he had never shared. Maybe, he thought, it was time to reveal them.


	70. Chapter 70

_I decided to have Diane be the one who brought Gibbs' present to the party, as I knew he wouldn't be there. And of course, she barrels through the beginning of the chapter, but something makes her stop and become more selfless. And writing this make me wonder if she ever met her former father-in-law, and if so, what their relationship was like. I want to think Jackson liked her and kept in touch with her even after she and Gibbs spilt._

Diane had been in the shower when her phone rang, so she wasn't able to answer it right away. Emily and Tobias knew better than to answer it for her, having been warned off enough times, so they ignored it. That meant it was nearly an hour later when she got the voicemail. The three were in the car, heading over to do the finishing touches for the baby shower, when she finally noticed she had a message.

But listening to it wasn't easy. It was garbled and fading in and out. But she knew who it was from and cursed under her breath.

"What's the matter now?" Tobias asked her.

"Head over to Jethro's house," she ordered, not answering his question. She used her tone that brooked no argument from anyone, even though she was trying to be more even-tempered since her reunion with her second ex-husband.

"Uncle Gibbs' in trouble, isn't he?" Emily said from the back seat letting out a sigh of exacerbation. "Now, is he really in trouble or did he just do something to pi-tick you off?"

Diane remained silent until they got to the house. When she saw that his dinosaur of a pick-up wasn't in the driveway, she harrumphed some more. She stormed out of car and homed in on to the front door, unlocked as always. Opening the door, she yelled at the top of her lungs "Jethro!" even though she knew it was futile.

She went to the back, making a beeline for the basement, while she heard Tobias and Emily enter the house more subtly. When she got to the door, she flicked on the lights and marched down the stairs. Then she stopped dead in her tracks.

On his worktable in the center of the room, Jethro, though obviously not there, was in the middle of building a wooden crib. Delicate carvings were etched on the sides, with still more waiting to be attached. She looked around some more and saw the trunk he had been going through on her last visit. She was about to open it when she heard her daughter call for her.

When Diane returned to the main level, father and daughter were reading a note that must have been on table next to a box wrapped in pink paper. Tobias looked up at her. "Jackson had a stroke late last night and Gibbs headed up to Stillwater after he got the call," Tobias told her, handing her the note.

"And he asked us to bring his present and explain what happened to everyone, especially Abby," Emily added. Diane immediately softened as she read what Jethro had written. Her thoughts, though, were interrupted by her daughter's query. "What does he mean by the story about the blanket?"

"We're...we're going to be late," she said, grabbing the box and heading for the door. She didn't see when the other two people in the room shrugged their shoulders at each other before following her. "Come on, let's get a move on!"

The rest of the way to the party was unusually quiet in the car, a state that Diane generally abhorred, not matter what was happening. Taking a deep breath, she said, breaking the silence, "When we were married, I thought I may have been pregnant."

Tobias turned to look at her for a moment before watching the road. "You never told me that," he said, trying not to sound offended she hadn't told him.

"It was just that I was late one month and I jumped the gun," she explained. "Jethro and I had mentioned kids once but never went deep into discussion about them. I knew about Kelly, of course, and there was a time I hoped if I was pregnant, that it may give him some comfort that life went on."

"I didn't know he had a daughter," Emily piped up. That wasn't a surprise to Diane. Though Tobias as a very good friend to Gibbs, and probably knew himself, there were some things he still kept secret for the other man. And Diane certainly never mentioned it to their daughter. Hell, it had only been in the last few years they could tolerate being in the same room with each other!

"What happened to her?" was Emily's next question.

Now it was Tobias who breathed deeply. "She, and her mother, were killed in a car accident."

Diane saw the look on her daughter's face from the side view mirror, and it told the other that her child knew there was more to the story than that. "Were they murdered?" When she wasn't answered immediately, she added, "I think being kidnapped and used for leverage takes away any naivete I may have about your jobs."

Diane had to smile at her daughter's perceptiveness. She was often too smart for her own good. "Yes, they were murdered," she answered sadly. "Shannon, her mother, had witnessed a murder, by a drug dealer. She agreed to testify and was put into protective custody, but she was killed, along with Kelly, her daughter."

Emily grew quiet, probably turning over the news in her head. Jethro had been a part of her life for a long time, between having been married to Diane and maintaining a friendship and working relationship with her father. "I would have liked to have met her," she said at last.

"So would I, sweetie, so would I," Diane agreed.

"What is the story behind the gift anyway?"

Diane placed her hand on top of the box, remembering the incident from a few weeks ago. "It was Kelly's," she began. "I first saw it...when I thought I was pregnant. He had it out when I came back from the doctor's. When I told him it was negative, he threw it back into this old trunk he kept in the attic. A few days later, I went looking for it and found it had a lot more baby things. Boxes of toys, clothes, pictures. I realized then how much he had packed her away when they died. I washed the blanket and put it back reverently. That was the last time I saw it before I stopped by there a few weeks ago."

By the time she had finished her story, they had arrived at the future home of Tony and Ziva. Diane could see that Abby was already there, and she also recognized Breena Palmer's car.

When they entered the house, Diane was unsurprised to find herself met by Abby. "So much for helping out around her," the forensic scientist bit out nastily.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that," Diane apologized, "had to make a stop before we got here."

Abby's arms were still crossed. "You'd better have a good reason."

"I got a call from Jethro when I was in the shower," she told her, a frown on her face.

Abby seemed to know what she was about to tell her. "He's not coming," she stated, which Diane confirmed with a nod. "But he promised! He said he would be here for Tony and Ziva! He's like a father to Tony and for Ziva he is for all intents and purposes-"

"His father," Diane interrupted, "had a stroke last night. He called me from the hospital, but I didn't get all the message. Before we got here, I had Tobias drive to his house and we found a note which explained further and told me to bring his present."

The look on Abby's face looked like it was ready to crack. "Oh, my god, is Mr Gibbs alright? I mean, now I feel so bad-"

"We don't know, and I don't think it would be a good thing dwell on it, at least not until the party's over. Right now is for Tony, Ziva and their baby girl, alright?"

Abby nodded voraciously. "Oh, yes, of course! Okay, so no mention of Mr. Gibbs or why Gibbs isn't here. Which I feel real bad about, like we're ignoring the situation with him but at the same time, we don't want to bring the party down and I know that Mr. Gibbs in in all our prayers and such it's just-"

"Abby!" Diane had to stop her before she got a migraine. "We'll tell them at the end of the party, how does that sound?" Abby merely nodded. "Okay, then, we've still got an hour until the guests of honor arrive. What do you need help with?"


	71. Chapter 71

_I do love it when Tony thinks he knows one thing but Ziva knows the truth. It gives her a wonderful upper hand in situations like this. And making (most of) the men suffer through it was fun._

 _I think everyone is happy they've finally had the shower. It looked like it was going to get nasty between Diane and Abby, with everyone else caught in the middle. But, the party is coming off without a hitch._

"Woohoo, sweetheart, it looks like someone's getting their home theater system!" Tony chortled as he drove to their new house, making Ziva roll her eyes.

"Why do you think that is why McGee called you? It could very well be that he's completed the home office," she pointed out.

Tony frowned at her. "It wouldn't take McGeek that long for a chore like that. Besides, I know Delilah's been encouraging him to set me up. Why else would he want to meet us at the house, with nothing in it, on a Saturday?"

Ziva had a suspicions about why they had been called to the house, but decided to keep them to herself.

"Baby, I'm telling you, Uncle Tim's coming through and when you get here, Daddy promises to get you all the Disney movies, the classics, like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarves' and 'Cinderella' and even 'Frozen,'" Tony continued, obviously speaking to the baby.

"And how do you know our daughter will even like those movies, hum?" Ziva asked.

"You have to start with the classics and for kids, that's the Disney collection, on the newest, clearest technology available for televisions," he concluded.

Ziva merely smirked as they approached the house. There was no cars there, save for Tim's, which disappointed Ziva a little bit. She was sure that this would be the baby shower that had nearly caused World War Three in the office. But when Tony pulled into the driveway, she got out and greeted her friend.

Tim had just finished giving her a kiss on the cheek when Tony walked up to them, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, Home Theater Guy, take me to my mancave!"

Tim shook his head as he made his way into the house. It was dark inside, but Ziva's training helped her notice a figure move across the window. She smiled at that and went in.

"Look, I have to admit, there is a problem with hooking stuff up. It's just a little technical glitch here and there," Tim told them, talking over his shoulder, "and I'll get around to fixing them, afterwards."

"'Afterwards' what?" Tony asked, as the lights were turned on.

A loud "Surprise!" was shouted through various rooms in the house, making Ziva smile and laugh. Everyone seemed to be there. Ellie and Jake, Breena and Jimmy, the Fornells, Delilah, Abby, Ducky, the director and his daughter, and Senior, with a lady she didn't recognize, all rushed to her, waiting their turn to embrace her. She barely had time to look back at Tony's confused reaction.

"What is all this, McGoo?" he asked, throwing a threatening look Tim's way.

His question was answered by his father, who wrapped his arm around Tony's shoulders. "It's a baby shower, Junior," he replied, as if explaining to a child as he stepped forward with the woman. Tony seemed to recognize her and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, whispering something in her ear.

"Okay, then why am I here?" was the next thing Ziva heard out of Tony's mouth.

This time, Vance spoke up. "It was insisted that the men be included, so if I have to be here, than you do too."

Ziva look around after everyone welcomed her. She did notice one person who was not there, but knowing him, he'd found so reason to beg off. She figured she could always ask later on.

She was led into the living room, for now with folding chairs and card tables put out, ladened with boxes of things, all in shades of pink paper. Ziva was overwhelmed by the sight. Even in the fairly empty space, waiting for them to move it, it was a lot of stuff.

Abby had been the last to greet her and the one who had led her over to the main area of the party. "So, were you surprised? I know you knew about it, but we wanted to keep it a surprise as much as possible. And sorry for the trespassing. I had a really hard time coming up with a location, until you and Tony showed them the house and we thought it was a good place to hold the party. Start the baby off in her future home and all that."

Ziva had been rendered speechless from the time she had stepped inside. At last, she was able to find her voice. "Abby, this is wonderful and a good way to open a home."

"Oh, thank goodness!" another voice joined them. Ziva turned around and saw Diane Sterling standing there, holding out a glass of orange juice. "Don't worry, it's virgin," she said. Then she continued what she was saying. "I was a little nervous when it was suggested having the party here. In fact, I thought it was crazy. But since Tony gave Chuckie the keys, it was fairly clear it was the best choice."

"And it had the benefit of not being considered breaking and entering," Ellie joined the conversation with.

"Well, it was worth it for nothing else than bursting Tony's bubble," Ziva laughed, as the others went along with her. "He assumed Tim was showing him this movie theater he wanted McGee to install for him."

"He'll get it, eventually," Delilah assured her, even if it wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Abby smirked at that. "Well, as much as we wanted to include the guys in this, this is really all about you today. We have food, games, presents and the big surprise," she informed Ziva.

The food spread was a little potluck, a little catering from a Georgetown restaurant and a box that had to contain the cake on the kitchen counter. Everyone began to eat and converse, with the guests of honor moving between all their friends. When Ziva joined Leon, he made the excuse for his son. "Kayla ordered Jared to come, but I took pity on him, He's been the only boy his age here, so I let him off the hook." He glanced over at his daughter, in chatting with Emily Fornell. She must have sensed her father's gaze, because she glanced in their direction, a scowl on her face. "She's channeling Jackie now with her displeasure of my overruling."

At the mention on his wife, Ziva felt a pang of sadness. "I wish she could have been here today." Then she amended her statement, adding, "I wish my father could have been here today."

"Ziva, I know you had a...difficult relationship with Eli, but the one thing I always knew about him is no matter his actions, he loved you so much," Leon consoled her. "He was so proud of what you had gone through, what you survived, to become the woman you are."

"I know," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

A whistle drew her attention. "Listen up! It's game time!" Diane called to the crowd. The response was decidedly unenthusiastic from all corners. She tried to rally some of the guests, but the men had scrambled, probably back to the room Tony hoped would house a large television soon, and the women were left awkwardly.

Finally, it seemed to be saved from complete embarrassment by Emily. "Uh, Ziva, what kind of thing do they have for baby showers in Israel?" she asked.

"Well," Ziva tried to think, "I think they are more of an American thing. I don't remember really hearing about them until I came to this country."

"Well, I had to organize the shower for my brother George's wife," Ellie began to tell them, trying to get some conversation started. "And it was really tough because they wanted everything to be a surprise, including the gender of the baby."

"No, you know what's worst?" Abby asked aloud. "When the baby's position in the sonogram makes you think one thing and it turns out to be the other. My cousin Lillian had that happen to her, she thought it a girl and then when the baby was born, turned out to be a boy. Gerard won't even let anyone see his baby pictures because of all the pink in them, even though he has his own burlesque show in New Orleans."

That got everyone telling similar stories, even Kayla and Emily and managed to get Diane off the idea of silly games. This was far more enjoyable anyway, and made Ziva feel like these people were very much her family.


	72. Chapter 72

_Casting Couch, Part 2: When I was thinking about who would be playing some on the unfamiliar characters, the answers I found seemed natural. Robert Wagner's real life wife as Ziva's aunt is one example. The other came almost hand in hand with that one. "Playing" the role of Linda Turner is Stefanie Powers, Wagner's co-star from "Hart to Hart."_

Senior always enjoyed being among Tony's coworkers. They had become his family when he had seemingly disregarded his son. He may not have liked when Gibbs called him on it, but he'd come to see that he needed a kick in the ass like that. It had helped him reconcile himself with Junior and they were stronger now than they had been since Elizabeth's death.

He had been chatting with Doctor Mallard, introducing him to the woman by his side when Tony came back over to him. "I'm glad you could make it," his son said to him, no trace of sarcasm in his voice after Ducky had wandered off. "And you especially. It was a shock to see you here."

Linda smiled, reminding him of seeing her standing besides his bride on their wedding day. "I had to come. Your father hasn't been able to stop talking about any of it since he first found out he was going to be a grandfather," she explained. "And I do want to have dinner with you and Ziva before I go back to New York."

Senior softened as he turned to look at his son. "There wouldn't be anyplace else I would be. I am still just so thrilled about you being a father, finding the love of your life." Tony's head dipped at that, a blush coming to his cheeks like Senior had never seen before. "And I have to compliment you on this place. It's fabulous!"

"Yeah, we were surprised at how much we like the area. It's not what I would have envisioned, but it...feels like home," Tony replied.

"And your place in the city? You're going to sell it?" Senior had to ask. He'd been having trouble finding a place to settle down in. They were either too big, or too expensive or just didn't feel right. But he'd always like his son's apartment, even if Tony had the place laid out all wrong.

"I've been thinking of renting it out, actually. A little side income, you know. Why, are you having a hard time finding something?" Tony asked.

Senior shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I hate to admit it, but…"

"Cause I don't think it's the place for you, Dad, seriously. You don't want your son's second-hand things."

"I don't know about your Dad, Tony, but I wouldn't mind a place like yours. I've always wondered how you could afford it," Tim said, joining the conversation.

"Well, it's just...I have good credit and when I applied for the mortgage-"

"Wait, you bought it?" Tim sounded surprised as he posed the question. "You've been in that place longer than I've known you, and we've worked to together over a decade!"

Any chance of getting an answer out of Junior was lost when Abby ran over to them pulling his son along with her. She was babbling so fast, Senior couldn't understand what she was saying. But when they left and collected Ziva, Tim turned to him.

"Not to be crude, Mr. D, but did Tony have a large trust fund? I mean, he's been in there probably as long as he's been with NCIS and I can't think of how he'd be able to afford a place like that, especially back then."

"I don't have an answer for you, Tim. He had some money waiting for him when he was older, but it was nowhere near enough to be able to purchase a place like that," he admitted.

Their conversation ended as Abby gathered the attention of everyone there. "Okay, so we decided to switch things around a little bit. We realized the games weren't really anyone's style," she said, even as Senior noticed the look on this Diane Fornell's face, "and we are doing the big surprise now instead of later on. And the big surprise is courtesy of Mr. D!"

Senior knew that was his cue and came forward, standing next to Junior and Ziva. "Thank you all for being here and I'd like to send a special thanks to Abby for putting together. Um, I have been a bit remiss in introducing my friend who accompanied me here today. This is Linda Turner. She was my wife's, Tony's mother's, best friend, maid-of-honor and Junior's godmother." A round of greetings followed, including some looks of surprise on the faces of Ellie and Tim.

When everyone died down, he began again a speech he'd prepared. "When Tony and Ziva were out for the appointment where they learned it was going to be a little girl, I let myself into the apartment and started preparing a family dinner. I knew where they were, of course, and I positioned myself to be the first to hear the news." He turned to Tony, looking rather sad. "I hadn't been there for him through a lot for many years and I made a vow to myself when I heard he was going to be a father that I would be there for my granddaughter. And I was sadly aware that I was the only grandparent she would have left."

Ziva's gaze fell to the floor when he said that. But, after a minute and seemed to recover, nodding encouragement to him.

"Well, naturally, I was tickled pink at hearing it would be a girl, no pun intended. And I immediately announced that I would be spoiling her and I wanted to begin immediately. But," now he looked at his son, "Junior told me I had to wait."

Tony shook his head as he explained to the crowd, "He wanted to go and buy the baby's crib and I had to explain to him we had no room to put it in at the time."

"And how, son, you do." Senior pointed to the stairs. "When you showed me the room that is going to be the baby's..." He wanted to refer to her by name, but since he'd 'accidentally' told someone it was going to be a girl, he thought better of it. Besides, that incident was still a secret between him and the person he told. "Well, I got on with the spoiling right away!"

"You...bought the baby's crib?"

Senior smiled, communicating he had something to show his son and daughter-in-law. Most of the party followed them upstairs so he could unveil the room. "No, I bought the baby everything else." With that, he opened the door to a fully painted, furnished and decorated room. "The crib is on backorder, but I have been assured it will be here by time she arrives."

Ziva looked stunned as she entered it. Painted in soft greens, yellows and purples, it included a dresser, changing table and a rocker with accompanying ottoman, all white. "Mr. DiNozzo…" she corrected herself, then continued. "Anthony, this is more beautiful that I could have pictured it."

"How did you get this all done without us knowing?" his son asked, suspicions aroused like they seemed to be about him.

"Well, that's where I come it. The delay in setting up the home office is because I was doing the wiring for all the electronics you'll need for her," Tim explained. "Nannycam, built-in speakers for soothing sleeping sounds, stuff like that. This week, I promise I'll get working on the home office."

"And then you'll get working on my home theater, right?" Tony added.

Tim narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that."

"And, guys, all the stuff to fill up the room with are downstairs," Abby told them, her enthusiasm building,

Tony and Ziva walked around the room, Tony inspecting the dresser and Ziva trying the rocker. Then in unison, they turned to each other and shared a look before Tony thanked them. "I really don't feel it's enough, though. I mean, it's better than we could have imagined."

Then Senior saw a familiar look on Ziva's face. "That was why I was being salted with questions these past few week! When Abby and Ellie would come by for lunch, the topic seemed always to steer in this direction."

Senior chuckled at Ziva's malaprop, which no one corrected. But then he embraced her, and she returned it. "We wanted everything to be perfect for her. A child is a blessing, never forget that. And it's good to start them off right, in a place lovingly prepared for them."

No more words were spoken between Senior and the couple. They basked in the silence of the moment, grateful for it because the next sound they heard was Abby. "Well, come on, let's see what we have to stuff this place with!"


	73. Chapter 73

_The story of the handkerchief is actually true. A co-worker of my father's and his wife gave the very same thing to my parents when I was born. It is a Swedish tradition and mine is made from an Irish linen handkerchief. I thought it would be a cute story to throw in, for Tony and for his daughter, though Tony's is a little more upscale than mine._

 _I also wanted Tony to have a brief abandonment issue to deal with. It interesting to see Tony's feeling hurt by Gibbs in some way, but I thought it should be brief. Leave it to Fornell to acknowledge and explain all to Tony._

Tony DiNozzo was never one to deny the fact that loved getting presents. He always had and he would probably never grow out of it. Now, he was learning, it was just as great to get gifts for his unborn daughter.

He was touched by the fact that his father had bought basically everything needed for the nursery, though he was a little suspicious about the reason there was no crib. He was also feeling the same way about the fact that all of their friends and co-workers (plus a few extra) expect Gibbs, had come to share this day.

He knew he should accept the fact that Gibbs held himself back from the rest of them more times than not. He got the fact that something like this could be very painful to the man, one who had lost a daughter already. But just when he thought Gibbs had made a breakthrough and allowed himself to be a part of this...family he had created, Tony was disappointed one more time.

He was trying not to think about it. He was trying to focus on all the other people who were here for this special party. But he couldn't entirely and he knew it was being noticed.

It was not who he would have thought would have been the one to bring it up to him. But as they were preparing for Ziva to open the gifts, Tobias Fornell was the one who saw his was distressed and pulled him aside.

'Gibbs," was all the man said. It was all he needed to.

Tony nodded. "I would think he'd be here for something like this."

Fornell had no poker face, but Tony could see he was trying his damnedest to attempt it. "He'd be here if he could, you know that?"

Fornell knew something, Tony was sure of it. His mind raced over a million possibilities of what it could be. And in the end, one came to him. "Jackson."

Fornell nodded and pulled Tony further away from the party. "He called Diane this morning, but she missed the message, or didn't hear it well. Anyway, we headed over to his house and found he was gone but he left a note. His old man had a stroke yesterday."

Now Tony was feeling awful for feeling abandoned by his boss, his mentor. He should have known that would be the reason. For as much as they all considered each other family, Tony often forgot that Leroy Jethro Gibbs still had some, though it was as strained at times as Tony's was with his own father. Jackson Gibbs was still a relatively new addition to the gang, ever since the LaCombe case had brought them to Gibbs' hometown.

That was where they had met the kindly shop owner, so different from his son it was almost comical. He was warm, sharing as much as Gibbs would allow about his past. Since then, whenever he was in the company of Mr. Gibbs, he still tried to wheedle his boss' history out of his father, but unfortunately, the old man had caught on and got tight-lipped since then.

He and Ziva had stopped by to see the Gibbses only within the last couple of weeks. Jackson was as chipper as ever, even admonishing their boss for his lack of hospitality. He had even brought a present for the baby, one that he now knew where he'd be placing in the room decorated by their friends.

"How bad?" Tony asked, breaking his own musing. He hoped it wasn't too serious.

Fornell shrugged his shoulder. "Note didn't say and Diane, to my astonishment, didn't try to call him. We weren't even going to tell either of you until this shindig was over. Didn't want to spoil it for you or Ziva."

The former Mrs. Jethro Gibbs must have heard her name mentioned because she found the two of them conversing. "Tobias!" She did not look happy. "I thought you understood-"

Tomy couldn't help but snark. "Diane, I'm a federal investigative agent. I think I can discern why someone who should be here isn't."

That made her back down. "Sorry, but really, I didn't mean anything by it."

Tony calmed down. "Well it is appreciated nonetheless. I'll tell Ziva after this is all over." He didn't want to ruin it for her, though he figured he'd be paying for it later on when she did find out.

"Look, your absence is being noticed. I suggest we all rejoin the party," she said to him, leaving the two alone again.

"That's basically an order," Fornell clarified as he walked back towards the party.

When Tony followed, he saw that there was a mess of paper-wrapping, tissue, heck, it looked like there was toilet-strewn on the floor. Boxes containing high chairs, toys, really, everything their daughter would need, were around the room. Tony scowled, thinking of all the assembling he would need to do over the next few weeks.

There were also boxes of clothes, bibs, hats and booties, with Ziva holding another box that probably had much of the same. "This one is from Linda," Ziva announce reading the card. She handed it off to Emily Fornell while Kayla Vance dutifully wrote down the giver's name on a list, awaiting just what it was.

As Tony walked closer to the mother of his child, he saw her remove what looked like a handkerchief, with a satin ribbon going from one side to another. "It's a cap for the baby to wear. When she outgrows it, you put it away and save it for when she gets married." Then his godmother looked to him. "I gave Beth the very same thing for Tony at her shower."

Tony looked confused, which his father must have noticed. "You know that Hermes handkerchief that you wear often to work?" his father asked.

"Yeah, I've had that thing, like, forever," he replied. "You mean that was from you?"

She nodded. "I got it even though your parents didn't know if they were having a boy or a girl. After your mother passed away, Harrison and I helped your father out and I found it. I undid the stitching and made sure your father kept it for you. Now, remember that for your wedding day, alright?"

Tony nodded and offered her his lopsided smile. "I will make sure of it now."

"There's one more present left for Baby Girl DiNozzo," Abby told the guests, her tone subdued, "and it's from Grandpa Gibbs."

"It's woodworking tools, right? Though, as much as I prefer electric, I don't think she'll be old enough for a while to use them." Tony joked. The laugh was shared by everyone except the three Fornells, and Tony figured they knew what it was.

Ziva lifted the lid off the box and both had the same reaction. Their breath caught in their throats at the sight of the pink receiving blanket, its age easy to see. "It is beautiful," Ziva finally said.

"There's a story behind it," Emily informed them. "Mom told us on the way over here."

All eyes glanced in the direction of Diane and, for a woman who always seemed to demand attention, she sure didn't look like she wanted it now. But Tony saw Emily prompt her mother, and the redhead began the tale.

"Near the end of my marriage to Jethro, well, kind of the final nail in the coffin, I thought I was pregnant," she said nervously. "There were cracks forming and I thought a baby could heal them before they grew too large." She took a deep breath. "Well, I went to the doctor's and found out that no, I wasn't. But I had told him what I thought and when I got home, he had this trunk out and was holding the baby blanket." Diane pointed in Ziva's direction. "Naturally I told him what the doctor said, and he just seemed to shrug it off. He tossed the blanket back in back into the trunk and walked away. I took it out and washed it and didn't see it again until I stopped by his place when we were planning this party."

They all knew what she was implying but it was Tony who finally voiced it for the group. "It's Kelly's, isn't it?" Diane only nodded in the affirmative.

Ziva held the blanket close to her now. She understood the exact meaning of the present, Tony knew. He held out his hand and she took it, before Tony brought it up to his lips for a kiss. She nodded to him. "Then we shall accept it and treasure it all the more."

Tony agreed with that wholeheartedly.


	74. Chapter 74

_From years of watching JAG, I did like the character of Clayton Webb, played by Steven Culp. He plays basically the same role there that Trent Kort plays on NCIS, just more...gentlemanly. So, as a nod to the show that sprang them all, here's my connecting piece to that classic show._

 _And I had to reference the case from the backdoor pilot as well of course._

Leon had gotten into the office early than normal the next day and was surprised to see who was there as well at 0600 hours.

"Gibbs, what are you doing here? Has your father-" he began to ask.

Gibbs interrupted him. "He's still in the hospital." The man inhaled deeply before continuing. "Doctors aren't sure how much damage has been done."

"Then why are you back here?" Vance's tone turned stern, trying to convey a warning to other man that odd were he wouldn't pick up on.

"I can't do anything more for him, Director." Gibbs' retort was equally dangerous, one he often dared to challenge his boss with. "Besides, I got word from a contact that he's willing to meet with us on the latest complication in the Wren case."

"You mean Kort?" As Gibbs nodded, Leon pushed on. "And what does this contact have to say?"

Gibbs actually smiled at the question. "Well, I don't know, Leon. He hasn't divulged anything to me. We've been waiting a half an hour for you, so we can be debriefed together." A shake of the head indicated this person's location. "He's in the conference room."

On the way to the meeting, Vance informed Gibbs, "Your absence was noticed yesterday, but understood." Then he look to the side where the other man was. "Tony and Ziva were incredibly touched by the present you had Diane bring."

Leon knew how tough it was for Gibbs to open up about that part of his past, the loss of his wife and child. He thanked God everyday that neither Kayla nor Jared where in the house the night of the attack that his wife was killed in. He himself had nearly been consumed by grief and he had seen how it had affected his agent, even twenty years later.

"She followed orders for once?" he said, a hint of disbelief.

"Yep, she told us the whole story."

Gibbs nodded. "Well, at least it can be put to use by someone else," he said after a moment.

By the time the arrived at the door, both were silent. Vance and Gibbs went to the room together, where he saw a man, with dark brown hair and in a very good suit, waiting for him. Vance thought the man looked familiar, but waited for an introduction. "Director Leon Vance, Clayton Webb. Mr. Webb has a...working...relationship with Trent Kort."

Leon raised an eyebrow at that. "As in CIA?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm retired, Director Vance," the other man retorted before shooting a glare Gibb's way. If there was one thing Vance knew about intelligence operatives, it was that they rarely retired, no matter what they may say. "But, before my retirement, I actually trained Kort."

"Great," Vance muttered.

"And I'm one of the few people who he still trusts," Webb added. "As such, he asked me to pass along an encrypted file to you." A USB drive was place on the tabletop. "He said it's information that is critical to the investigation he's working."

"The Wren case?" Vance wanted to make sure they were clear.

Webb shrugged. "He didn't say. But he said the information will show that, quote, 'you are barking up the wrong tree.'"

"How?" Gibbs looked like he thought that Webb knew more than he was letting on and was determined to get the answers. Vance decided to sit back and let his agent at the spook.

"Like I said, he didn't say. Said it was all on here, though," Webb replied.

Gibbs wasn't going to take that answer. "You know."

Webb looked at Gibbs, then turned away. Vance knew he had been caught. "If you have more information for us, now is the time to tell," Mr. Webb.

"DiNozzo was never the target," he admitted at last. "And it has more to do with the Reynoso cartel than the Brotherhood of Doubt. But Wren's not so much a true believer as he is a sleeper. He fell in with them during his tour in Afghanistan a few years ago, set up drug pipelines and that was how he came into contact with the cartel. When the remains of the Reynoso's came looking for revenge for Paloma and her brother, he was activated. He only killed the sergeant to get NCIS' attention."

"Specifically, mine," Gibbs concluded.

The CIA agent nodded. "The plan is rather cartoony, no finesse whatsoever. But the information on him being in Baltimore was bait. You're rather notorious, Agent Gibbs. They knew you'd go after him. It was just chance that DiNozzo went up those stairs before you did."

Vance seemed to be getting the picture now. "It was passed off through many hands, hoping the true plan would get lost along the way."

"And where is he now?" Gibbs demanded. "Are my people in danger still?"

"That's all I'm at liberty to say, Agent Gibbs. All the pertinent information can be found here." He tapped on the flash drive again. "It's encrypted, but Trent said your people are smart enough to break it." He said no more on the subject as he stood. "Happy hunting, Gunny."

After he left, Vance eyed Gibbs. "And how do you know him?"

Gibbs smirked. "We have a mutual acquaintance, from an old JAG case. Rabb doesn't generally trust him either, but just enough to take him seriously."

"Captain Harmon Rabb? Didn't you investigate him once for murder?" Vance asked.

"Yeah, we butted heads over that. But he's a good judge of character, I trust him and he even said there are things we can trust from Webb," Gibbs told him. "And in the two months since this happened, we haven't gotten very far."

Vance nodded. "I'll see that McGee and Ms. Sciuto get this. I'll let them know Kort's claim the encryption should be easy to crack. If that is true, then we'll see how truthful Mr. Webb and Mr. Kort are being." Then he looked over at Gibbs. "In the meantime, I am ordering you to take some time off. The team is up and functional, even if two of them are working remotely. You should be with your father."

Gibbs visibly balked at that. "Leon, this is what I need to be doing. There's not for me but stare at my dad….in a hospital bed."

"I know, Gibbs. But your mind is with your dad, where it should be." But Gibbs gave him a look that Vance knew all too well and he frowned. "Am I going to have to order you, Agent Gibbs?"

"You just might, Director." It was a challenge, no question about it, one that Leon didn't need this right now.

"Then go home, at least, if you're not going to be going back to Stillwater. We'll call when he have more information," he told Gibbs. It was a relief to Vance when the other man seemed to accept the compromise. He walked out the of conference room without another word.

Vance delivered the information to McGee an hour later, explaining what he had been told. Then he retreated to his office, making a call. "I need a favor," he said into the line. He explained everything and was relieved when he heard the affirmative. He hoped it would help.


	75. Chapter 75

_When I initially wrote this chapter and those that followed, there was something missing. It took me a while to figure out what it was but eventually I did. There was something that needed to be sparked in this chapter that was to be the catalyst for everything else._

 _In the first draft, it was missing. And when I went to add it, it took me a while to work it out. I finally did, though it still feels rather clumsy (although, in truth, the whole case aspect of this story hasn't been right for most of it, signalling how insignificant I felt the "case" was and then how important it became.) I hope I got it to jive, in the end, but please, let me know what you think._

Gibbs had gone home as ordered, however reluctantly. He didn't like it, but he admitted Leon was right. His head wasn't in the game and that could be dangerous. His thoughts were scattered, from his father to what Webb claimed Kort had uncovered. He knew he needed to focus. So, after a call to the hospital up in Pennsylvania to check on his father's status, he did what he usually did when he got home from work, he went to his crafts in the basement.

The crib was nearly finished. It was assembled and all it needed was the accent pieces and paint. He went to his workbench, continuing to carve the intricate designs he had drawn out. I had to have been a few hours when he heard the front door open and his name called. Gibbs put his woodwork down and hurried up the stairs. He wanted his project to be kept a surprise for as long as possible.

When he reached the kitchen, he was glad he'd come up before his visitors could come down. DiNozzo and David were standing there, a little on edge. "Hey boss, we were just driving by and saw you were home," his Senior Field Agent mumbled, a hint of fear in his voice.

Gibbs knew it was bull. He figured Vance had called them and told them to come over and keep an eye on him. Usually, that was something that would piss Gibbs off. But right now, he was too tired to feel anything. "Vance call you?" he decided to ask, playing dumb for a minute.

"No, boss, why would you think-?" Gibbs shot Tony a piercing stare and the younger man looked away.

"He did, Gibbs. He told us about the meeting and that you had to be ordered to leave the Navy Yard by him," Ziva cut in, deflecting anything that may be aimed at her partner.

Gibbs didn't say anything else, just turned and headed towards the refrigerator. "He's right, you know boss," Tony called out. "You did the same thing for me, and my dad wasn't in a hospital."

Gibbs knew Tony was right, but he wasn't going to confirm that out loud.

"And with me, Eli's, my father's death, I have not completely recovered," Ziva added. He remained silent at that and Ziva threw a look Tony's way.

"McGee and Ellie cracked the encryptions on the drive we got from Kort. And, well, Vance didn't say anything about keeping you out of the loop completely," his second-in-command informed him.

Gibbs had his doubts about that, but decided to not give voice to them. "What information was on the drive?" he asked at last.

Tony brought out his phone, reading off what was probably McGee's long-winded explanation of it. "McGeek said it was actually a rather simple series of clues to cases we've had the pleasure of Kort's company on. The Frog, Jonas Cobb, stuff like that. It was a series of security questions that unlocked it."

"The information Kort gathered said that Wren was headed back to the states, but via the West Coast. He seems to be doing tasks for either the Reynosos, the Brotherhood or both, but his ultimate goal is…" Ziva continued until Gibbs interrupted her.

"His ultimate goal is to kill me." It was a simple statement that was now weighing heavily on him. "DiNozzo, I'm sorry."

Tony turned his head, offering a sideways glance at Gibbs. "Sorry for what, Boss?"

"Those bullets were meant for me. I was the target and you took them for me," Gibbs replied.

Now it was Tony who was giving him a stern look. "Don't do that to yourself. Truth is, I'd do it again if I had to."

Now it was Jethro who stared at him, as he noticed Ziva's reaction to what Tony had just said. "You can't think like that anymore, DiNozzo. You're about to be a husband, a father."

"I would do the same," Ziva told him. "The truth is, any of us would, without hesitation." Then she took a breath. "There are a few other reasons why we came here today. It was not just because Director Vance asked us." She sent him a pleading look, and he obeyed, sitting at the table as they both joined him.

"When we were in London, we started talking about our wedding plans," Tony began. "It's still a ways off, but we wanted to put down in writing things we already knew we wanted when the time comes. Things like McGee being my best man."

Next, Ziva said, with a shy grin, "And Abby would be my maid of honor."

"The wedding's going to happen after the baby's born. I got a sense when we had dinner with her family friend Schmeil he's not too pleased we're doing this all backwards," Tony said. "But Dad, amazingly enough, soothed over any rough edges on that part."

"And there is one more thing I know I want when I get married." Ziva's voice was barely a whisper as Gibbs saw she was struggling with what she was about to say. "You have been, since I came to NCIS, more than a mentor to me. You have been my father when Eli divorced himself from that role. You have stood up for me many times over and have had more faith in me than almost anyone else." With that comment, she tipped her head in Tony's direction.

Tony smiled, knowing what she meant. "Really, he was the one who didn't believe you were dead. Me, McGee, Ducky, even Abby, we all thought that at one point or another. But Gibbs, he was the one who was still turning over stones even in the face of what looked like certainty."

Ziva returned the smile, but looked at Gibbs. "There is a sad truth to our lives, Gibbs. My father will never be able to walk me down the aisle, give me away in marriage. And you will never be able to do the same for your daughter."

Her voice was cracking now, saying those words out loud. He was fighting his own emotions. He knew what she said was the truth, as painful as it was. And then, through the pain, he knew what was to come next.

"I said to you once that I had come to think of you as my father. But I would never be so presumptuous be think you feel the same for me," she said, holding the tears at bay, if only for a moment. "But still, I will ask that, when the time comes, will you walk me down the aisle?"

Gibbs knew he was about to break, so he had to say what he wanted to quickly. "You sure you really want to marry this guy?" he asked, chucking his finger towards DiNozzo.

Jethro knew the tears that broke from her at last were happy ones, mixed with her musical laughter. Finally, she said, "There are times…"

Tony tried to look offended. "Hey! Don't put ideas in her head!" But that didn't last too long, as he beamed himself.

Gibbs took her response as a yes. "Ziva, I would be honored to do so," he said, gathering her up in an embrace.

"Thank you," she whispered back to him. When they broke apart, she reached into her pocket and withdrew an envelope. "When that day comes, I want you to give this back to me, read it with me. It was found by Orli among the papers in my father's office. It is supposedly the last note he wrote to me."

Ziva placed it in his hand and he stared at it. It was the first time he had ever sensed the ghost of Eli David visiting to comfort his daughter, instead of the darkness his name normally ushered in. He took it and went to a bookshelf. He pulled a history he had on the Corp and stuck the envelope between two random pages. Then he returned to where the two were standing. "You have my word."

"Thank you, Boss," DiNozzo said to him "Also, we wanted to thank you for your present. You can't imagine how much it meant to us."

At that, Gibbs took a step back. He knew what his Senior Agent was talking about, the baby blanket, but it hit him, so subtly he almost didn't notice it. He was certain neither of them had.

He tried to shake it off. At last recovering he crooked his finger, indicated they should follow him. Down into the basement the three of them went and the couple's eyes fell upon the project he'd been working on. "I apologies for falling behind on it, but I'll make sure it's done in time."

Tony chuckled. "So that's what Senior meant when he said the crib was on backorder." He nodded in approval. "Thank you, Boss. That is so touching. The crib and especially Kelly's blanket."

"I don't even know what to say, Gibbs," Ziva added as she traced her fingers on some of the carving that had been added.

"You don't need to say anything," he told them simply. He wanted to be happy for them, especially now, sharing this unfinished gift with them. But that thing he had felt a few moments ago, it gnawed at him and he didn't know why.


	76. Chapter 76

_Since I have gotten back into NCIS, I have also revisited the two spinoffs as well. NOLA's okay (and I've always liked Scott Bakula) but I have really come back to enjoying LA, and yes, a little of Kensi and Deeks. So, as this is a big case (if not disjointed) I threw all of them into it. Also, I wanted to have Hetty giving the stinkeye to both Tony and Ziva (and not just Tony, as she did in MW's guest appearance) for the Director Sheppard debacle. Hetty really is the best part of that show._

In the week that followed, Gibbs had received a call from the doctors in the hospital treating his father, and the old man himself. It seemed to steady him, Ellie noticed and Vance allowed him to return to work. But the team knew the director could and would change his mind if Jackson Gibbs took a turn for the worst.

That meant that Gibbs himself pushed harder on the investigation. With the intel that had been given over by Kort via another CIA agent, NCIS and her sister agencies were narrowing their search for Wren down to the West Coast. They were scheduled for an update from Los Angeles in the mid-afternoon, with Ellie sorting through information the NSA had picked up.

"McGee, Bishop! MTAC, now," Gibbs called as he rounded the corner for the back elevators and made a beeline for the stairs to the upper level. The two jumped out of their desks and followed dutifully, all entering the room to Director Vance, who was standing in front of the images of Tony and Ziva, who had been piped in for the meeting.

Ellie noticed that Ziva looked a little uncomfortable, even though she was sitting down. By her best guest, she was at least into her seventh month, maybe even eighth. Had three months past since this whole nightmare had begun that night in Baltimore?

"Hey there, Tony, Ziva," McGee greeted them while awaiting the connection with OSP. "How you guys doing today?"

"Amazingly, we just about finished moving in," Tony informed him. "Guys, thanks again for the assist. The two of us are still kind of the walking wounded still."

"Anytime, Tony," Ellie said. They had help with bringing over boxes and smaller items that had been left after the movers had taken care of the furniture. It had been a group effort, though with a few setbacks, namely Tony blaming his lingering injuries not not being able to help with the heavy lifting more. Gibbs, who had unexpected joined everyone else, gave Tony a sound smack on the back of the head after which the Senior Field Agent promptly felt much better and began doing more work.

The small talk was interrupted by a signal that the LA office. "Hetty, lovely to see you again," Vance addressed the diminutive OSP manager.

"And it is a pleasure to see you again, Agents DiNozzo and David. I see you're recovering well," the older woman replied, nodding her head to the screen. Ellie noticed the couple began to look uncomfortable at the attention they were paid and she shot a look to McGee. He shook his head once, a signal to not ask.

"Thank you, ma'am," Ziva replied more smoothly.

Vance commenced with introductions. He pointed out Ellie, as it was her first interaction with this group of agents and Hetty presented her team to Ellie in particular, and the rest of those gathered.

"We have good news and we have bad news, Director," Hetty began, getting down to business. "The good news is we picked up Wren's trail when he arrived in Los Angeles."

Another guy, Eric Beale, spoke up. "He arrived on Saturday from Beijing."

"He took the long way around," Gibbs noted.

"Best way to avoid being caught," Hetty deduced for everyone.

"After that, it gets a little tricky," another agent, called G by the Director, added. "We lost his movements when he got into the city. This guy is one of the best I've ever seen at being undetectable."

"And he used a fake passport when he got here," Eric said. "We only learned it was him because facial recognition flagged him."

"We're still trying to figure out how he got out of the house that night in Baltimore," Tony said from the new home office.

"He probably had a hiding spot and when the chaos from the shooting died down, came out from it," Marty Deeks, an LAPD liaison officer conjectured, in a blaise tone.

"Whatever the reason, he seems to have pulled a similar trick here," Agent Sam Hanna said. "A report came into this morning. It's the reason why we took a little longer to link up with you. He made his way to Las Vegas."

"And we know he's not going to be staying in Vegas," Tony paraphrased.

"We're running through the system again, trying to pick up location he may have been while here in LA," Nell Jones replied. "But it's going to take a while. That's a lot of data to sift through."

"Could you use a second or third pair of eyes?" Vance asked. Nell seemed to perk up at the suggestion. "Anyway you can divide up the footage and upload it here, to Ms. Sciuto's lab? We can have her, with maybe McGee and Bishop, scan through some of it along with you."

"It should be possible," Eric said, tapping at the screen of his tablet. "Give me a little time to see how best to divide the work."

"Where are we thinking his next stop could be?" Agent Blye asked, moving closer to the screen.

"That's anyone's guess but we have to start thinking outside the box with him," Ellie said as a thought popped into her head.

"How so?" Hetty asked. The comment seemed to peak the older woman's interest.

"Well, he's highly adaptable, and seems to like to fool people," she began, almost thinking out loud. "And he's patient. I can't think of another reason to move through Eurasia to reach your target. He'd take different routes that are in no way direct."

Leon seemed to get a thought. "See if you can raise Agent Pride down in NOLA."

"Head to a port," Ziva said, seeming to follow the director's line of reasoning. "He could leave via New Orleans, or any other major port, and end up here."

Vance merely nodded as another picture came up on the screen. "Director, nice to hear from you," the man said in his crispy southern accent.

Washington and Los Angeles caught the third bureau up on the case as fast as they could. "Man seems to be in no rush," Dwayne Pride said after he heard everything.

"His employers have a tendency to enjoy cat and mouse games," Gibbs said and Ellie remembered what she had been told about how the Reynoso cartel went about going after Gibbs in the first place.

"And it's just a matter of skinning the cat before it succeeds?" Pride asked. But it was a rhetorical question, as he continued. "You know we'll keep a lookout for Wren. If he reaches any point along the Gulf, we'll get him."

"And I'm going to send a memo to other offices, telling them to be on alert. Just in case he decides to change tactics," Vance said. "Happy hunting."

The two other offices ended their feeds, but Tony and Ziva stayed on. Ellie could see that Tony had something he wanted to say, but seemed afraid to come out with it for a minute. "There's something else we haven't talked about and it's something maybe we should consider." His eyes flashed to Gibbs. "Protective custody."

"I'm not hiding from this bastard or the one who's paying him," Gibbs declared defiantly.

But Vance didn't seem to care what he said. "Agent DiNozzo, it had been something I've been thinking about for some time and it is an option on the table." Gibbs stop a glare their boss' way. "If it is necessary, it will be implemented."

Tony looked to Ziva and swallowed, turning back to MTAC. "It won't get to that point, Boss."

But even Ellie thought the whole situation won't be resolved before it was needed.


	77. Chapter 77

_Continuing with the DC/LA links, I think it's high time that Gibbs and Lange share the screen. It would be classic because those two are a lot alike. None of DC (save for Vance) have met Hetty and there's been limited contact for LA with Gibbs (I want to see Eric and especially Nell deal with him, and Deeks. In the current cannon, I think Marty would actually make Gibbs wistful for his former Senior Field Agent.)_

Abby Sciuto loved her job, she really did. But there were times that it was actually really boring. Like now. This project had started the day before and all she had been doing was sifting through hours of street camera and CC footage from around Los Angeles trying to look for a face to pin down a timeline of that face's movements in the LA area. And she only had half of the data. The other half was still with OSP, where Eric Beale and Nell Jones were doing the same thing.

Abby didn't voice her displeasure for a task so mundane. Okay, she was, but it would have sounded redundant, because the same had been said in LA and by Tim McGee, who was seated next to her. "I've found needles in haystacks easier than this," Tim complained for the second time. "Is this all you guys do over there?"

"No!" Nell said, too quickly. When Eric threw her a look, she shrugged her shoulders. "No more than...fifty percent of the time?" she offered at last.

They sat in silence for a little longer when Abby heard the elevator ping. She figured it was Gibbs coming for an update, but took was relieved when Ellie turned up instead. "Anything to report?" she asked.

That made Abby take a deep breath. She was already frustrated by the lack of progress they had been making since this morning when the data had been sent to her, now her beloved boss wanted answers she had could not give. "Gibbs needs to realize I'm not a miracle worker! This is going to take a long time and we still haven't gotten any hit at all. What does he expect?"

Ellie was caught by surprise, then blushed a bit. "Actually, I was asking for me. I had to get out of there. He's being more unbearable than usual." Then she moved to get a better look at the screen. "Want to trade places?" she asked Tim.

"Be on Gibbs babysitting duty? No thanks, I'd rather fall asleep doing this," he retorted.

"Then can I hide out with you guys?" was the next question she asked.

Abby smiled at that. "Sure! We could actually use a fifth pair of eyes!" They remained silent for a few more minutes, until Abby noticed Bishop fidgeting. "Something else on your mind?"

"Yeah, actually." She looked more nervous than usual, but asked her question anyway. "When Hetty came on the screen yesterday, Tony and Ziva both looked really uncomfortable. Tim shot me a look, so it feels like there's a story to it."

"Well, in all fairness, it doesn't take much to make Hetty unnerve you," Eric said, without thinking.

But it was Tim who explained further. "Few years ago, Tony and Ziva went along as protection detail when then-Director Shepard made an appearance at the funeral for a former agent. Afterwards, and against Ziva's protest, she released them to take time for themselves. But Ziva, being Ziva, was suspicious and dragged Tony along to look for her. They eventually found her...in a run down diner in the Mojave Desert."

"Why was she there?"

"Some people from her past, from Gibbs' past, came out of the woodwork for revenge. She led them there and managed to take out most of them, but not before she herself was killed. That was where they found the bodies," Tim concluded.

Before there could be any further response, a ping rung out from Abby's computer. She typed a few commands then smiled broadly. "Got a hit!" She fed the coordinates to OSP and waited for a response.

"He was in Van Nuys two hours after landing, at a rental car company," Eric informed them. "He must have paid cash for it, no credit card records."

"Fastest way to get to Las Vegas from there would be to pick up 15," Nell added.

That portion of the footage was from what Abby had, and she was able to locate the car that he had been seen getting into. "Got it."

"It takes about five hours to get from there to Vegas," Eric said, "so we can tap into footage in Vegas…" His face fell.

"Where we start this mess all over again." That came from behind the three of them. Abby turned to find Tony and Ziva standing at the entrance to the lab.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked them.

"Well, since there's no pounding of the pavement, we figured it was no problem doing some work from here," Tony replied.

Ziva gave him a look, then told them, "And we were called in by Vance to talk about some other things."

Abby didn't like the sound of that. "What's the matter?"

The two exchanged another look before Tony came out with "Classified."

In Abby's expert opinion, that was never good. "Okay, well, if we get anything more, we'll let you know," she said.

He smiled back at her. "Appreciate it," he said as Ziva nodded and they headed back for the elevator.

Once she was sure the doors were closed, Abby shot a narrow eyed glare at Tim and Ellie. "What's going on? Was there something more to the conference call yesterday?"

Tim grimaced. "Gibbs' least favorite words were mentioned by Tony...protective custody. You remember how he feels about that."

Abby shared the look. She could remember at least two distinctive times he'd been placed in that situation, and he protested both times. He preferred arranging it, and demanding it be obeyed, more than being in it.

"And it was Tony who brought it up, though Vance seemed to be thinking it as well," Ellie commented.

Abby's eyebrows shot up. "I would not want to be Tony or the Director right about now," she grumbled.

"Yeah, I got the sense that Gibbs and Hetty have kind of the same personality," Nell said from Los Angeles.

"Well, Hetty's had a lot more...life experiences...than Gibbs," Tim said. When the rest of the groups' eyes were on him, he elaborated. "I may have read her files, at least the unredacted parts. A lot of the stuff's pretty cool. I mean, she's worked in Hollywood, is a skilled mountaineer, a published novelist, has an MFA from the Sorbonne, is a member of the Order of Orange-Nassau, speaks more than ten languages."

"Ziva speaks ten, and aren't you a published writer?" Ellie asked.

"That's in one person! It's impressive," he replied.

"Thank you, Agent McGee," A voice sounded from behind Nell and Eric. The two analyst's backs straightened immediately while the three faces in DC cringed. "But I'm sure you have better things to be doing than gossiping."

"Well, it's not really gossiping, more like-" Abby stammered before seeing Hetty's expression. It was scarier than anything she'd ever seen Gibbs give. "We'll stop now."

"Then back to work. This perp's been out too long for anyone's liking." With that, she left her team members to their tasks.

After she was gone, Nell turned to back to her screen. "So, what's Agent Gibbs like?"

Abby only smirked.


	78. Chapter 78

_Confession: My biggest regret about this story is the case portion. I was on such a high with the overall concept; Ziva pregnant and returning to DC, the team and Tony; Tony gravely injured; and everyone else coping with all of these things, that I really didn't lay out the incident that got Tony into the situation. And then, since there would be months going by between the start and finish of the story, I needed to expand it accordingly, so it sadly became almost filler. And filler in any story, novel, television season, fanfiction, is never good._

It was actually Ziva who had called Director Vance to arrange the meeting, but Tony had agreed it needed to be done. He had brought up the subject the day before about protection for Gibbs, but of course it had been dismissed by the man almost immediately. She and Tony were heartened, however, to see that Vance was thinking as they had been and had agreed to speak with them in person.

It hadn't been exactly easy to sneak around the bullpen without Gibbs noticing. Gibbs was one of the most aware men she had known and his sniper's eye noticed the slightest detail. They had to be patient and waited outside for him to get is cup of coffee. Ziva smiled, mirthlessly, knowing it probably wouldn't be that long of a wait. When they saw him head out, they made their move, getting into the building, taking the elevator up and moving to the back to head down to Abby's lab to check in. After they were done there, it was up to Vance's office.

The director's assistant showed them in immediately. Vance stood, nodding his head towards the conference table and they all took their seats.

"If you have a way to keep him safe, give it to me," their boss said.

Tony grimaced. "That's the problem, sir. It's Gibbs. He's always been stubborn about stuff like this."

"He was reluctant to have protection when the Reynosos first raised their heads, if you remember," Ziva said.

"And then there was the time Director Morrow had to order him to submit the protection from a former Secret Service agent," Tony muttered. Ziva looked at him as a frown showed up on his face. She had to take a minute to understand what he was saying, but then she knew what he was talking about.

"Yeah, he's a pain in the ass about that," Vance responded. "And there's been nothing pulled from footage on the West Coast?"

"We stopped in by Abby's before coming here," Ziva informed him. "It seems they know that Wren has made it to Las Vegas, but-"

"We already knew that yesterday and tracking him out of there will be no more easier than it was in Los Angeles, according to the Geek Squads," Tony finished. Then he stood up suddenly and began to pace. It was a sure sign that the frustration was getting to Tony. "There has to be something else we can do."

"We did draw out Paloma and Alejandro the last time. Maybe it is worth a shot again?" Ziva asked out loud.

Tony said nothing and neither did Vance for a moment, until he nodded his head. "Top priorities for you, Agents DiNozzo and David, come up with a battle plan. Or two. I can feel this guy creeping up and I don't want us caught unaware."

Tony had been standing with his arms crossed against his chest, but when the order was given, he straightened up. "Yes, sir, we'll wrack our brains and come up with something."

Ziva began to get up, but the baby bump was making it rather difficult lately, so much so that she was often reluctant to sit down in the first place. Vance came to her side, and tried to help her, but she shook him off. When she finally righted herself, she smiled apologetically. "It is fine, I just need to go slower."

"A concept I know you have a hard time with," Leon said, a smirk on his face. Then he looked to DiNozzo. "You do know who taught her how to drive, right?"

"I'm going to say Mario Andretti, sir," Tony joked, relaxing slightly. Ziva understood that was the whole point of the teasing. They were all under a lot of stress, but she knew Tony moreso. He was Senior Field Agent, and yet still could not be put into the field because of his injuries. And right now, with the threat still posed by Wren and whoever he was working for, it was where he most wanted to be.

Vance's eyes were shining, but he left the answer unconfirmed. "How much longer, Agent David?"

"We have a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and should have an updates then. But it should be soon," she replied. At least, she hoped so. Like her partner, she wanted to be doing more, but she was in a very different situation, of course. As much as she did not relish how she was going about her work now, she understood why it was necessary.

"Well, keep me updated on everything, understood?" Both agents agreed and left the office. They made their way down the stairs and found themselves face to face with Gibbs.

"Ah, hey, Boss," Tony said, a hint of fear in his voice.

"DiNozzo," was all their boss said.

"Hello, Gibbs," Ziva said, sensing the tension between the two men and trying to find a way to defuse it before it got out of hand.

Gibbs barely spared her a look. Then he turned his back and headed to his desk.

Tony gulped, looking at her. He shook his head. "I'm saying something. He deserves to be kept in the loop." Before she could debate him, Tony was in front of Gibbs' desk. "We were called in by Vance."

"Didn't need to know that," Gibbs replied, not looking up at him.

"Yes, you do." Tony was saying that as she approached the two of them. "You need to know that because you were the subject. Boss, this guy, he could strike anywhere, at any time. We need to get you to a safehouse." Gibbs' look was dark, but he he remained silent. Tony pushed on. "You can hate me, or Ziva, or Vance, but you know we're right. It's the only way we can keep you safe."

"No."

"Boss-" Tony's voice grew angrier, but he didn't get in another word. Gibbs stood up and walked to the elevator.

"Why does he have to be so God-damn thickheaded?" Tony asked her when he thought Gibbs was out of earshot.

She didn't know how to answer, but decided to intervene. She hurried over to the elevator as quickly as her bulky body would allow. Gibbs had stepped into the elevator and she held out her hand to stop the doors from closing. She got on quickly, allowing the elevator to move for a few seconds before pushing the emergency stop.

Being in the box alone with a pissed off Gibbs was not the ideal situation, but she didn't care. She collected her thoughts before beginning. "Why must you be like that?"

"Like what, David?" he asked, weariness in his voice.

"Can you not see we are trying to protect you, yet again, from someone looking to settle an old score? Have we not played this scene already?" she asked, almost begging him for the answer. He remained silent and she realized something. "You think you are doing penance, atonement?" It was a question that had once been posed to her.

"For what?"

"Pick something," she said. "Pick any myriad of crimes you think you have committed." But then she saw a look that she had never seen before. "No, not for a crime you think you committed. One you were unable to prevent."

He backed her into the corner of the lift then turned around and restarted it. She was too stunned to stop him. When it hit the ground floor, the doors opened and he was gone.


	79. Chapter 79

_Gibbs' exes were such a mystery for so long, and remain so to some extent, at least Rebecca and Stephanie. But Diane, I have come to like immensely. Not just for the connection she has between Fornell and Gibbs, but I think out of all of them, even Ducky, I think she was the one who understood him the most, knew the most about him and his ticks. She was there in the aftermath of his great tragedy, so she's the one who is allowed to get through to him the most._

The problem with Leroy Jethro Gibbs was, if he wanted to go off the grid, he could do it too easily. The man was such a technophobe, it was ridiculous how well he could disappear if given the motivation.

Ziva had returned to the bullpen after Gibbs exited the elevator. They thought he'd gone back to his house, since that was where his cellphone was pinging from. Tony had gone over with McGee but reported back that while his phone was there, he was not. Calls were placed to Stillwater, to keep an eye out, but they reported back the next day he hadn't been seen there.

So there was a mild panic amongst his friends and colleagues when they couldn't locate him. The FBI had been called in, at least in the the person of Tobias Fornell and it was because of him that Diane Sterling showed up as well the next day, more worried than any of them had ever seen.

"What the hell happened?" she demanded in that way that rarely got her the results she was looking for. She had been berating McGee with that question. "Aren't you supposed to be the whiz at tracking down GPS coordinates and heat signatures and things like that?" There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

But Chuckie had no answers for her. And he kept telling her that, making her madder and madder by the minute.

Tony, Ziva and Bishop had been hanging back, trying to either defend Tim or just get her to shut up. Finally, after an hour, she did at last.

"We need to think this through. If you were Gibbs, where would you go if you wanted to be alone?" Tony asked out loud.

Ziva was the one who finally seemed to remember something. "What about his cabin? The one where we were with him when Parsons' was doing his investigation?"

Tim got working on it and managed to have a satellite grab an image of the area near Gibbs' remote cabin. Sure enough, there was his pickup, parked in dense brush a hundred feet or so from the simple wood structure. As one, Tony, Ziva, Ellie, Tim and Abby (who had been upstairs with everyone else and pacing) grabbed their things to head over to him.

"Stop!" Diane's voice yelled at the five of them. They all turned, none of them with pleasant expressions on their faces. "None of you are going." It looked like all got her meaning.

"And what right you do have?" Abby asked dangerously. "You have never been high on his list of favorite exes. Why are you even here? It's kind of creepy, you hanging around him, especially now that you and Mr. FBI are together again."

"I'm going because I've been through this battle before," she said, surprising herself with how quiet and calm she was. He eyes darted to each of them. "None of you know the man he was...right after Shannon. And I think that Ziva's the one who figured it out." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Look, give me a chance to get the first crack at him. If I can't do anything, if he won't listen to me, you all can give it a try."

They had agreed, somewhat reluctantly, and she set off with Tobias for the cabin out in the middle of nowhere. "I didn't even know he had it, but from what David and DiNozzo say, it's all Jethro. No electricity," he said as they made their way there.

"I just can't believe I didn't remember this place sooner," Diane replied. When she saw her boyfriend's look, she explained. "He's had this place since we were married. We even camped up here once."

"You hate camping!"

"Like I said, it was once," she remarked as he parked the car. Diane went to unbuckle her belt, but as Tobias went to do likewise, she stopped him. "I said me, and I meant it. But I'll give a shout if I need backup."

He nodded. "I'm going to ask you for your sidearm, though." She tried to play dumb with a look, but he knew she had one. "I really don't want to risk you pissing him off to the point you shoot him. Or he grabs the gun and shoots you."

Diane had to smile at that. She handed over her weapon without another word. Before exiting the car, she gave him a quick kiss, then got out and headed in the direction of the cabin.

It hadn't changed much since she had last seen it and that was close to twenty years ago. She could see a dim light, and knew he was still eschewing electricity up here. Diane shook her head, muttering to herself, "What am I getting myself into?" before opening the door gently, sans a knock.

As expected, Jethro was sitting there, beside the wood-burning furnace. Diane wasn't sure how to approach him, so she tried some humor. "Hey stranger. What are you doing up in these parts?"

He didn't spare her a glare. Not even a glance.

"Jethro-" she tried again.

"I want to be alone."

Well, she got five words out of him. "No you don't," she said. "It may have taken a while, but you knew we'd find you." He still hadn't turned to see her, so she walked further into cabin. "If you wanted to be alone, you'd be holed up in a cabin like some mountain man years ago."

He hung his head, a sign she took as defeat. "Why are you here?"

"Because you need someone. You need an adult," she answered. "When the braintrust of your kids figured out where to look for you, they all were rushing out to get here. I told them to stand down. You needed someone who's known you for a long time and seen you go through this before." She finally made her way in front of him and sat down on a rickety chair. "You went into this mood just before you proposed. And I even called Rebecca and Stephanie." He finally looked up at her and she couldn't help the smirk from gracing her lips. "We were worried Jethro. After you weren't at the house or in Stillwater, we got desperate. I thought is was worth a shot. But they said the same thing, that you acted the same way."

He was still remaining silent. She knew this was what it would be like, her giving a monologue, so she soldiered on. "What hit the nerve? Your dad? This guy you've been chasing, the one who shot Tony? Ziva and Tony about to be parents?"

More silence. Diane thought she may need to call Tobias until Jethro spoke again. "Tony and Ziva came to see me, when my dad took a bad turn and Vance benched me. Ziva asked me to give her away whenever the hell the two of them get married."

"And that was what did it." It wasn't a question. But it was so clear to her now, being asked to act as father of the bride to a woman he'd come to see as a daughter. "I understand."

"No, you don't. It wasn't that. I had a feeling that when they came back engaged, it was going to happen, she'd ask me. But that wasn't it," he informed her. "Tony thanked me for the gift."

Now he'd lost Diane. "The blanket?"

"He said he thank you for this crib I've been working on for their daughter, but also for the blanket." Now he looked at her. "It doesn't make any sense."

Now Diane sat in silence, contemplating what he was trying to say. And then it came to her. "They're your kids." He narrowed those blue eyes of his as she went on. "You gave them something that was precious to you, something that was Kelly's." He flinched slightly, but she took his hand, keeping his focus on her. "If she were alive and the one about to become a mother, what you you be doing?"

In silence, she could see he was understanding her.

She nodded. "You'd be doing exactly what you've been doing. And it's affecting you. You're fighting it, but it is. Then, add that to the stress of this case, a guy gunning for you and your father's own ill health, plus your own inborn stubbornness, and here we are. You want to be alone, but all these circumstances are conspiring to not let you be. And, at the same time, you don't want to be alone. You want to be with your family." She took his other hand in hers. "Jethro, let them help you. Let them in like you do really want to."

Then Diane let go of him. She knew there wasn't much more she could say to him, so she got up and left. When she sat down in the car, Tobias gave her a confused look. "I think he'll be alright. He just...needs time to be by himself."

"Just like that?" he asked incredulously.

"If he's not back in DC in a couple of days, I'll send up the bat signal. But I gave him some things to think over. Let's let him do that."

She knew Tobias didn't fully understand, but left it like that. They headed home while Diane placed a call to Ziva, telling her he was alright and he just needed some more time, but he should be back in the morning. She hoped she was right.


	80. Chapter 80

There had been plenty of times in the last decade when something would happen, a bombing, a shooting, something, that would make Tim McGee fearful. Tony's near-death from pneumonic plague, Gibbs nearly being blown apart on that ship, the months of searching for Ziva, even the injuries Tim had received when Dearing had placed a bomb on the Navy Yard, they were all moments when fear had gripped the rest of the team.

Chalk this up to another one, McGee thought while the had awaited word from Fornell about Gibbs' status. None of the had left the office, anxious for word. When that word had come, they still didn't leave. It seemed they all thought that when Gibbs was ready to return, that was where he would go.

And this time, there were no physical injuries where a doctor would come to inform them about, but something mental, emotional. Something very un-Gibbs. They all wanted to help, as evidenced by the fact they all sprung from their seats when Diane had figured it out. But they all stayed because, in the end, she'd been right. It was something they couldn't really understand because they never really understood their boss.

Something had affected Gibbs, something he himself was probably not aware of. To Tim, there were so many things going on at once that he had no idea what it could be. Maybe it was just a cumulative effect.

"What the hell is taking Diane so long?" Tim heard from his desk next to DiNozzo. He turned and saw Tony scrubbing his face, a move that indicated his frustration, his inability to do the job he was actually really good at. "Would be nice to hear if the eagle landed."

"It's Gibbs," Tim reminded him. "You really think she'd crack him this easily?"

Tony remained silent, which indicated he knew Tim was right. "It's just usually, she make a situation worse. What does she know that we don't?"

"She would know more about him," Ziva piped up from across the way. She at least seemed to be puttint the time waiting to good use. Ellie and Ziva had spent the last two hours going over any information they had gathered already about Wren's whereabouts. They were looking for any connections he may have had with Kort. They were looking for anything they thought they could find.

"Yeah, I know that," Tony sniped at her. He frown. "Sorry, it's just…"

"I know. It all seemed to have been going well. Okay, not this case, but his father is again improving and he was happy when we spoke with him about the baby and the wedding plans."

Tim saw Ellie perk up. "What did you discuss with him about the wedding?" the blonde asked.

"That when the time comes, Gibbs will be walking me down the aisle." Then Ziva's eyes went wide and she looked to Tony, whose expression mirrored her.

A pit formed in Tim's stomach. "What?"

Ziva set off with what sounded like a series of curses in Hebrew, while Tony's chair emitted a thud when it went too far back and his the cabinet behind him. He closed his eyes and then opened them, his face grim. "That had to be it."

Ellie looked very confused at that moment and Tim, even with his years of working with the two of them, had no clue what Tony could mean.

"Kelly," Ziva said softly. She looked up to see Tim and Ellie, then explained further. "We went to see Gibbs after the shower, when he came back from Stillwater. We wanted to personally thank him for the baby blanket. While we were there, I asked him to act as father of the bride. I said that I think of his as a father and my own has passed and he will never be able to for his daughter…" Her voice died out.

That was the moment when the elevator rung and Gibbs stepped out from it. Tim had turned his head as his mouth hung open, watching their boss move to the spot before Tony and Ellie's desk. "Conference room, all of you, now." Then he backed up and headed over to the stairs.

By time they had all gathered there, Gibbs was inside the conference room. He stood near the window, looking out. Tim looked from Tony to Ziva to Ellie and lastly at Gibbs. They remained silent, waiting for Leroy Jethro Gibbs to speak.

When he did, he surprised them. "I know I have a rule against this, but I'm sorry."

What followed was a cacophony of voices, each apologies for whatever wrong they may have believed they committed. Tim himself was bringing up mistakes he had made before he had even been assigned full-time to DC.

A whistle brought quiet back to the room and their attention on Gibbs again. He took a deep breath. "Do you have a plan for protective custody?"

It looked like Gibbs had closed the book on whatever he was apologizing for, so Tony, swallowing first, began. "Well, boss, that's the thing. We really don't…." He looked to McGee.

Gibbs smirked. "So all this talk about trying to protect me?"

Ellie's eyes moved from a spot on the floor to Gibbs. "It was an idea borne out of...desperation."

"It would make us feel like we were actually doing something, actually getting somewhere," Ziva added. "It's be aggravating, not having a lead, a way to track, anything."

"You know it's bad when Kort gives us our best lead in months," Tony said, finding amusement in his words.

Gibbs stood there for a minute, then moved to the door. As he passed each of them, they got a headslap. Ellie was caught unaware, but the others took it as a sign and followed their leader back down the stairs.

"I've had time to think over what we've got. McGee," Gibbs declared, then directing the junior agent to his computer. Tim typed in some commands, and the entirety of the case appeared. "Sergeant killed at Quantico, suspect leads us to Baltimore, Tony gets shot at by someone associated with a Mexican drug cartel, and our suspect disappears for months."

"He ends up in the Afghanistan/Pakistan area, was also a connection to more affiliates of the cartel and a known terrorist organization," Tony adds.

Tim squinted for a minute. "We've been looking as these incidents a being only connect tangentially," he said. All eyes were on him, as he continued his explanation. "Here's a crazy theory that's, well, really no crazier than some Tony's thrown out over the years."

"Hey!" DiNozzo called out, looking insulted. "Which of my theories did you think were crazy, oh great mystery author? And when is your next novel coming out?" There was a teasing tone in his voice, which actually relaxed McGee.

He didn't respond, only pointing to the screen. "What if Wren never killed the sergeant? What if it was a contract, and his end was setting up Gibbs to be shot? The cartel pays the Brotherhood for their services, then activates an agent to lead Gibbs into a trap. But it failed."

"Tony got shot instead of Gibbs. Now he owes them a debt," Ziva furthered, as pieces seemed to fall into place. "He would have gotten out of Baltimore that night without knowing the job had not only failed, but gotten the one of the Reynoso' men killed. And he'd take a while to get to the Brotherhood's headquarters."

"By which time, the news has gotten back to them and their not happy. He needs to pay the debt, and I'd guess they don't want to finance him," Tony said. "The Reynosos are nothing if not patient, Boss."

"He needed to pick up jobs along the way to get him back to the States," Gibbs said.

Ellie sat back at her desk, typing. After a few moments, she told the group, "I just did a search for killings between Central Asia and China. Looks like there were a number of low-level assassination, five right now, that could be on his path."

"Check to see if there are any similar deaths between here and California," Gibbs ordered. "That'll be him living paycheck to paycheck."

The next few hours brought them a string of cases, the last of which was in Cleveland the day before yesterday. And when camera footage was brought up, they could see it was Wren.

Tim blew out a sigh of relief. It was their first good lead in months and it looked like the endgame was about to begin.


	81. Chapter 81

_I fully admit, I usurped several lines from episodes for this chapter. The Palmers' nickname for Ducky, of course and I re-utilized Tony's line to Tim about his and Ziva's connection and farewell. There has been little direct Tony/Ducky interaction here, so I thought Tony needed a kind, wise word for the loquacious medical examiner. Even if he is being unusually concise._

Ducky was elbow deep in autopsies, far more than he had seen in awhile. There had been, at last, a break in the case and it revolved around a number of contract murders that have been occurring in the last few weeks. They had seemed innocuous enough on the surface, but when Jethro's team had at last been able to establish a link, they fit in rather strangely to the open investigation of Anthony's shooting. It was at least enough to give them a lead on the killer, who appeared to be making his way to Washington, most likely to finish a job he had been given and failed at months before.

He was reading about the shooting of a police commissioner in Nashville when the doors to Autopsy opened. Ducky looked up from his reading and saw Tony standing there. "Hey, Boss just sent me down for an update. Glean anything new from those files?"

Ducky had known DiNozzo for over a dozen years and knew when the younger man was putting on an act, and that was what he was doing now. But Ducky decided to play along. "Nothing new, other than the fact that Corporal Wren seems to be drawing nearer by the day," Ducky replied, "and leaving a swath of blood in his trail." Then he turned to Tony, giving him a look that cause squirming from the Senior Field Agent. "But that is not the reason you've come down here, is it?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders, trying to maintain the facade a little bit longer. "No, really, since I'm still grounded, Gibbs has me coordinating things from here." But when the look remained on Ducky's face and a frown was added to it, Tony caved. "Lot of things are getting closer."

"Ah, this is about the impending arrival," the medical examiner replied, finally understanding.

"We had what the doctor says should be the last check-up before the birth," Tony explained. "Ziva's cranking and anxious, I'm starting to feel like I'm losing it." He let out a sigh. "I don't know, it's just the last few months…"

"It has been a whirlwind, hasn't it?" Ducky asked kindly, a smile on his face.

"I just...I just keep going back to that goodbye in Israel, Doc. I feel like I should have done more. Then maybe all this other crap wouldn't have happened," he commented. "At what point did my life go so haywire?"

"I think you know the answer to that one, Anthony."

Tony turned his head to the freezers and one door in particular. Ducky never forgot the resting place of those who passed through his door and Kate's visit to him still stayed with him, even though it had been nearly a decade before. "Don't get me wrong, there are some parts of all of this I wouldn't trade in for anything. But sometime...sometimes I wish we could have met under different circumstances."

"If you had your wish, how would they have been different?" Ducky asked, taking on the tone he used when he was delving into the psyche.

"Well, for one thing, Kate wouldn't have been…" He couldn't finish the sentence, but then, a laugh escaped him. "I really wish she was here right now. I wonder what Kate would say about me becoming a father."

"She'd have a thought or two, of that I am sure," Ducky agreed.

"And she'd have given Ziva a piece of her mind about sleeping with me in the first place." The laugh continued and Tony seemed to relax at long last.

There was a part of Ducky that knew his next question was utterly out of taste, but it was something he had wondered since the night he had shown up in Abby's lab and saw Ziva. "I apologies for asking this, but were you two an item...before you went searching for her?"

"Dr. Mallard, I am shocked, but I'll answer your question, since I can see you psychoanalyzing me." Tony sat on a stool and looked at the elder doctor, who smiled back, understanding he'd been caught. "No, we weren't, not until, well, the last night I was in Israel. I mean, I always knew we had a...connection, I just didn't realize how fond of a farewell it had been." Then Tony shook his head. "On second thought, I wouldn't trade a single second of the past eight years. If it had happened any other way, it may not have happened at all."

"Very wise, indeed," Ducky affirmed. "I do envy you, my boy. It is an experience I shall never have."

"What, no chance of any ducklings waddling around somewhere?" Tony flashed that cheeky grin of his. But Ducky shook his head, leaving the question answered without words. "Well, Ziva and I were saving this for when she's older...or even born. We figure she's got her _nonno_ , and now that's only the fifth word of Italian I know, she has her Grandpa Gibbs, her Aunt Abby, Aunt Ellie and McUncle Tim, so we have decided to designate you her Great-Grandducky."

The doctor winced a bit when Tony said that. "'Great-grand', Tony? That is a little painful to think about it that way," Ducky said. "Not that I am not honored, of course."

Tony seemed to think about it. "Yeah, I see your point. Okay, Grandducky then."

"Thank you, Anthony," Ducky finished. Then he moved back to his files. "So where is Jethro, anyway?"

"He's been working himself so much Vance ordered him to hit the rack for a solid seven hours," Tony said. "Not that I think he's actually going to sleep, and I've never figured out how he catches even a wink on that sofa, but he's at the house. There's two agents keeping an eye on him."

"I will say, I am surprised Jethro allowed the protective custody in any event. He's usually much more difficult about those situations," Ducky said.

"Well, it actually seemed to help we never really had a plan in the first place, that way he was actually able to design it himself. Not that I recommend protectees planning their own protection. Last time I allowed that, there was morning yoga at the Adams House."

"Ah, Prince Sayif Ibn Alwaan. Had the driver who accidentally blew himself up," Ducky remembered. "I remember his brother protesting the fact that I would not be releasing the body as planned." He would have continued, but Tony's phone rang. "DiNozzo? Really? Great, just what I need, a visit from our ever friendly CIA agent. Yeah, send them up, put them in the conference room. Is Ziva still here? Have her meet Mr. Kort and Mr. Webb there with me. She may not be able to do much physically, but I get the feeling she can at least rattle the two with her mere stare." He closed the phone. "McGee just told me Kort's in the building. Let me go see what, if anything, he may have for us." Tony strolled out the door, but not before saying, "Thanks for the talk, Grandducky. It's really appreciated."

Once the doors closed on his back, Ducky returned his attention to the files he had been going threw. "Grandducky. I must say, I like the sound of that. I'll have to inform Mr. Palmer for when his child is born."


	82. Chapter 82

_One of the flaws of Season Twelve was, the bad guy, Ari's half brother, would have been more effective is, say, Ari's half sister were still around. Sadly, that was Sergei's big failing. Now, I'm not saying he'll show up some time in the future if this story, but I am setting up a string that could be tugged on, if the mood comes to me._

 _I also wanted to have the story caught up in current events, so I have hinted at the terrorist group ISIS here. At least from what they showed on NCIS, I could see the Brotherhood's resources and technological skills being utilized by them._

There were few people in the world that Tony DiNozzo truly disliked. Sure, most of the dirtbags he arrested in his career all fell into that category. But other than them, he got along with pretty much everyone else. Then there was Trent Kort.

Tony had first encountered the man when he was believed to be an associate of La Grenouille, Rene Benoit, a French arms dealer that the then-NCIS chief had a beef with. But, in the course of a sting that he was in, it had been revealed that Kort was actually a deep cover mole in the organization. Then the whole thing went up in smoke, along with Tony's '66 Mustang. He was still not convinced it was not Kort who had placed the bomb there to get at Benoit's daughter, Dr. Jeanne Benoit, who Tony was involved in to get at his daughter.

Tony sighed, remembering Jeanne. She was the first woman he had had a functional relationship with, one he could see building a future with, Of course, it was all built on lies and he had devastated the woman, to the point she had accused him of the murder of her father.

And Kort, well, Tony never liked dealing with the man, be it over a video chat or face to face. And with the latter, Tony had the tendency to want to deck the guy. That made him hurry his steps to the conference room, a smile on his face. He'd just wait for the ass to say something and Tony could justify it.

When he got to the door, he was surprised to see Ziva standing outside. Tony thought she'd prefer to be in the room with him, to keep an eye on the spook. She must have seen his confused expression, because she answered it. "I felt it was safer if Agent Bishop waited inside with him. I could not be sure I would not take actions against him in my...hormonal state. And his colleague, Mr. Webb, is little better. I believe smarmy would be the appropriate word."

That was all it took for Tony to completely wipe away any thought of other women and reaffirmed why he loved this one. She and he thought alike very often. "Let's go rescue the probie from the CIA," he said as he opened the door.

As expected, Ellie was sitting eyes to the door, giving Tony the opportunity of coming at Kort from behind and placing both his hands on the Brit's shoulders. He had the urge to wrap his hand around the guy's neck, but held back. "Mr. Kort, so nice to see you again. What brings you to our neck of the woods? Tired of exile to the middle of nowhere?"

"DiNozzo, always a pleasure," came the faux greeting. Tony moved to take a seat that Ellie vacated when they had entered, and Ziva sat down next to him. "David, the time is almost upon you, I see. You do have my sincere best wishes, even if it is with this Neanderthal."

Tony felt the moment had come and would have pounced had it not been for not just Ziva's hand pinning his to the table, but Kort's associate intervening. "Gentleman, I know there's been bad blood between the two of you, but we have serious matters to take care of," he said, his tone neutral.

"You do have information for us?" Ziva asked, her eyes pegged on Kort.

The bald operative reached into a breast pocket and withdrew a piece of paper. "Courtesy of my contacts in Pakistan," he said, handing it to Ziva. "That is a list of targets set up for Wren."

Tony took the note from Ziva and read over it. "Well, thank you very much but it's a little too late for most of these names. Stuff like this, more helpful before the killing spree starts. And the one name not dead knows about it, which is why we've taken precautions."

"Is that all you came with?" Ziva asked.

"No, actually, it is not." He withdrew a thumb drive next and handed it to Tony. "The names, locations and affiliations the Brotherhood has. Since the death of Parsa, they've gotten sloppy. I don't see them lasting much longer, as I think that other organizations will either take out the members or, more likely, recruit them themselves. Which may not be a bad thing. You can track them and see where it leads. Word has it another snake is ready to rear its head in the region. The Brotherhood is rather advanced in their line of work and could be useful for such a...start-up."

"And as we've seen, one get more brutal than it's predecessor: the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and now something going on in the deserts of the Syrian/Iraqi border," Webb supplied. "Think of this as a gift, for NCIS to get a headstart on the rest of the world."

"And what do you personally get out of this, Kort?" Tony still wasn't buying it. Kort had an angle, he always did.

The man smiled thinly at Tony. "Nothing. But the intel has brought me back in favor with Langley and I promised I would behave this time." Kort and Webb stood up. "Now, if there's not other business, I have further debriefings to attend."

"So, no head start on the CIA, huh?" Tony asked, following the men out of the room and into the bullpen.

"We were hoping to work closely with you on any futher ops," Webb said. "I'm sure a mutually beneficial relationship can be established." he reached for Kort's arm, to lead him away.

But Kort didn't budge much. "There is some other interesting information on there, for you specifically, Agent David. Something of a family nature." But before anything further could be responded to, the CIA operatives were out the door.

Tony had no idea what he was talking about and from the look he was getting from Ziva, neither did she. But Tony needed to prioritize and as it seemed like whatever it was was not related to the case at hand, he let it slide, at least for now. He turned back to the team, seeing Ellie and McGee ready for any order he was going to give. "Bishop, show this to your NSA contacts. See if there's anything there that's useful or if it's just Kort sending us on a wild goose chase. McGee, when she has anything, brief Vance. Also, show him the recording from the conference room."

"And what are you going to do?" Ziva asked him, as he grabbed his gear and headed to the elevator.

"I'm going to go talk to Gibbs, let him know about our conversation with Kort and Webb. See what he says we should do now," Tony told her.

"I'm coming with you," Ziva said, going to grab her things. He stopped and looked at her.

Tony shook his head, having a better idea for her. "I think you should stay here and go over the information with Ellie." Tony frowned, his mind going back to Kort's last comment. "See if you can find out what the hell he was talking about. It's something that, if Vance okay's it, might be good to pass on the Mossad and MI-6. A thank you for their help." Ziva blinked, considering his words. "Look, this is just me going to give a SitRep to Gibbs. How much trouble could it be?"

Ziva hesitated. "Okay, but when we finish, I will have Ellie and McGee take me over there when we get any further information."

He smiled at her. "Deal. Say I'll see you in, two hours?" She returned the smile and gave her a quick kiss, before heading to the elevator. To Tony, it sounded simple enough. Report to Gibbs and then wait for more information.

 _Nothing could wrong, could it?_ Tony asked himself as he headed to the Boss' house.


	83. Chapter 83

_Besides most of "Truth or Consequences", one of Weatherly's all-time best scenes was his confrontation with Eli David. He came across just as his dossier probably said, juvenile with a fast mouth and he caught Eli totally off guard. Bonus points also because Eli realized it immediately. And it was probably one of Gbbs' proudest moments of his Very Special Senior Field Agent._

 _As you can see, I am sort of bringing the story full circle as I turn into the final acts of death and birth. There are still a number of chapters to go, but there is a light coming at the end of this tunnel._

When Vance had told Gibbs to go home, he had put up at least an obligatory protest to stay, that there was work that needed to be done. Vance nixed that, but did agree to let him take some files home to look through, which, while he was eating his dinner, he went over. There wasn't a whole lot more he got from rereading them for the hundredth time. Frustrated, he decided to try and get some shut-eye.

He lay on the couch and replayed, in his head, the night of the shooting in Baltimore. He had lost people before, but he refused to let DiNozzo die. He'd seen something in the kid from the moment he got tackled all those years ago. His had a brilliant, if unconventional, mind and gut instinct that reminded Gibbs of himself. Yeah, he had a mouth on him, but, as much as he'd seen that mouth get Tony into trouble, it also had the ability to get him out of it.

That brought his memories back to an 'interview room' in a bunker in Tel Aviv. Tony was confronted by Eli David over his killing of Michael Rivkin. Gibbs knew it was self-defense, even without DiNozzo's broken arm. The two had told Rivkin to stay away from Ziva, but, being that he was under orders from the Mossad chief himself, he ignored the two of them. That led to the confrontation that Tony had miraculously survived, mostly because his adversary was legally drunk.

Tony had stared down David with his fast mouth, and got the interrogation turned around to the point that David had admitted he was always followed when giving an order. Rivkin was doing his job, whatever it entailed. The job was to get Ziva on his side, and to do it, he seduced her.

But Gibbs had always thought part of Eli David's argument about the instigation for the fight was right. Tony had been at least a little jealous of Rivkin, from the first moments Ziva had alluded to him. It wasn't the main factor of it, but after working together for four years, Tony had begun to feel something more for Ziva. He cared for her, worried for her,and would do anything to protect her. That included risking his career and life for her.

Gibbs had seen the extent DiNozzo would go to for her. He put himself in harm's way to avenge what was believed to be her death. He went up against Vance and Gibbs, logic and reason, because Gibbs knew that there was some part of the man that would never believe she was dead unless he was shown irrefutable proof that the body before him was Ziva.

 _Great,_ Gibbs thought. _Now that I'm thinking about this, my brains not going to shut off._ He got off the lumpy sofa and went down into the basement, hoping that a little manual labor would help make him tired enough to sleep.

The crib was nearly done, but Gibbs had a few more details to add to it before he brought it over to Tony and Ziva. He was working on them the night before, and went back to the intricate carvings. He worked at this for a few hours, but sleep was no closer. Finally, he decided, the hell with it, if he was up, he might as well be all the way up.

He went upstairs, grabbed his keys and headed over to the diner. A cup of coffee was needed if he was going to pull an all-night. The late-night waitress greeted him when he stepped up to the counter. "Little late for you, isn't it, Gibbs?"

"Ah, decided to finish off my latest project and needed some fuel for it," he told her, a smile on his face. He sat and waited as she poured him a cup. He was savouring the taste when his phone rang. He pulled it out and squinted at the name. "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Hey, Boss, where are you? I'm at your house right now and you're not here," Tony asked.

"I'm out getting a cup of coffee. Why are you looking for me?"

"We got a visit from Kort and his buddy, ah, Webb? They showed up at the office."

"Why didn't you call me?" Gibbs knew the reason, of course, and sent a curse Leon's way.

"The Director told you…." Then, as if seeing the look he was getting right then from Gibbs, his voice died away. "Sorry, boss. Let me headslap myself for that."

"Nevermind," Gibbs muttered. "What information did he have anyway?" He drowned the last of his cup and made his way to the door, waiting for that answer.

"Doesn't look like much related to Wren. He did have a handy hit list, which I said was basically worthless now, but he also supplied a thumb drive-" At that, Tony stopped abruptly.

"What's going on, DiNozzo?" It took a lot for Tony to stop talking, and the suddenness of the end of his last sentence made Gibbs speed up his pace. "DiNozzo, are you there?"

The volume that replied was barely above a whisper. "Boss, either you've got giant rats upstairs or there's someone else here."

Now fear lanced through him. "DiNozzo, do not engage, you hear me? I'll be there in two." He didn't hang up the phone until he heard Tony's voice again.

"Right boss. I'm going to alert McGee and Bishop, have them get over here for more back-up," Tony told him.

"Where are you right now?" Gibbs asked, trying to get the position Tony was in.

"I'm in your living room, Boss."

"Got out the back and meet me. If there's anyone upstairs, you should be able to see them in the back window. Do the best you can to keep them in your sight."

"Got it, Boss." With that, the call ended and Gibbs rushed back to his house as fast as he could. It was as he was turning the corner that, through the open window of the truck, he heard the sound of gunfire. He raced down the street and stopped the car in front of the house, leaving it in park with the engine running. "DiNozzo!" he called as quietly as he could, trying not draw any further attention from the gunman.

His only answer was a wheezing sound that was coming through the open door in his kitchen. He hurried there and saw a few drops of blood. _NO! This is NOT happening again!_ raced across his mind. But this time, he heard Tony's voice. "Actually, it's not that bad," his second answered. When Gibbs got there, he saw Tony sitting against the lower cabinets, gripping his upper left arm with his right hand. His shirt was stained red. "It's not as bad as it looks...this time. Normally, I'd be quoting a movie, to show you how good of shape I'm in despite getting shot...again. 'Monty Python' comes to mind." Tony's eyes shifted to Gibbs, who was scowling. "But now's not the time."

"You reach McGee?" Gibbs asked as he reached for a towel to staunch the bleeding as much as possible.

"Yeah, calvary's on it's way, which means Bishop and probably Ziva. She's not going to be too happy with me," Tony said, wincing as Gibbs tightened the makeshift tourniquet. "I sort of told her I couldn't get into much trouble merely reporting to you."

Gibbs couldn't help the smile on his face. "Probably not. At the rate you're going, she'll be back on more active duty than you." His first aid finished, he reached for the gun he had pulled out of the truck with him. "Stay here and wait for everyone else. Call 911 and tell them you've been shot, even though a call's probably been made."

"Boss, let me…" Tony tried to move, but both the pain the gunshot had caused and Gibbs' forceful shove to the position he was in signalled to Tony Gibbs was not going to let him go far. "Alright, Boss, but be careful." There was an unexpected pause, as if he was going to add some smart-ass comment, but it never came.

Gibbs only nodded and headed further into the house, hunting the shooter.


	84. Chapter 84

_This reunion between an injured Tony and a pregnant Ziva is intentionally more light-hearted than the first. I needed a little levity, so I threw in their cute nicknames and channelling co-workers (I always have felt that, of the kids, Ziva would be the least likely to do that, so I had some fun there)._

After Tony left, Ellie spent the time going over the data Kort had handed over. And while he had told her to help the probationary agent, Ziva still was not sure what to do. So, she paced, back and forth, between her desk and McGee's desk, Gibbs' and Tony's. She didn't know how long it had gone on for, but she became aware that McGee's eyes were following her, so she tried to stop. That was when she felt a chill run down her spine, but before she could think about it, Tim called to her.

"He'll be back soon, probably following on Gibbs' heels," Tim told her, trying to lighten the mood.

"Like the loyal St. Bernard, yes?" Ziva replied archly. She laughed a bit, trying to clear her mind of worry. "You are right. I am sorry, but it feels like there is nothing for me to do. And, I guess…" She sighed. "What did Kort mean when he said there was information of 'a family matter?'"

"Whatever it is, there seems to be several levels of encryption between us and it," Ellie said from her desk. That brought both Tim and Ziva next to her. "And it's pretty complicated stuff. Not what can usually hack, but maybe you want to take a chance at it," she pointed to McGee.

"Send it over to my desk," he ordered, and then went to work on it. "This is very sophisticated, it's going to take me a while to gain access."

It felt like an eternity when the work both the agents were doing was interrupted by a phone ringing on Tony's desk. "Special Agent McGee," he answered automatically, as he had been doing it for the better part of a decade. After a moment, he gazed up at Ziva. "Yeah, she here, you wanna-" He stopped immediately and that caught Ziva's attention.

She became transfixed on her friend, as his face morphed into what it was the night she had returned from Israel and shown up at NCIS. Again, McGee's eyes flitted to Ziva and back, and he took several deep breaths. "You're alright though? And where's Gibbs?" Another pause, which was when Ziva knew who was on the other end. Now, she was taking calming breaths, willing herself not to panic.

It was Tony. She knew it was by the comment about being okay. He had to be alright, she begged, but the more logical part of her brain knew he was, since he was the one calling.

"Okay, we're heading over there now," Tim said. There were some more sounds coming from the phone and she knew it was Tony giving him a directive. She didn't need any guesses what it was, especially when he ended the call with, "You really think any of us could stop her? We'll be there in ten." With that, he hung up the phone.

"Tony?" she asked, preparing herself for whatever it was.

"He's got a gunshot to the arm, but Gibbs wrapped a towel around it and it seems to be working. EMT's are on the way, but we need to get there. Tony thinks there's only one shooter, but he doesn't want to take the chance." Tim was grabbing for his weapon as he explained, and Ellie was moving in the same direction.

"I'm coming with you." It was a statement, spoken as quickly as she had ever said anything in her life. "There is no way I am not going, so stuff all your arguments or, I swear that when I am back in fighting shape, I will give you an ass-kicking like you have never had, and you know I can do it, so...so no argument!"

Tim smiled at her as she followed them to the elevator. "That's what I told Tony, so he's the one you should deal with when the time comes," he acknowledged. They all stepped onto the elevator as soon as the doors opened and Ellie hit the down button. As it began to move, McGee must have felt the need for one more comment, so he asked her cheekily, "When did you start channeling Abby?" To that, Ziva merely conceded his point with something between a grin and a grimace.

The drive to Gibbs' went faster than it seemed to have ever gone before. When they got there, all Tim asked her was to hang back. "I'm not going to make you stay in the car, not that I could anyway, but until we give you the all-clear…"

"Yes, of course," she agreed readily. They all got out of the car, and made their way over a police cordon. Three badges were flashed and Ellie asked for a status report.

"There was a call of shots fired, followed by a call to emergency services. One victim with a gunshot wound to the upper arm or shoulder, but no signs of the shooter or the homeowner, who the victim said is a federal LEO. Besides him, there have been reports sent out to city and county law-enforcements, so we'll get the guy eventually," a police officer said.

Before McGee could ask any follow-up questions, Ziva got there first. "So it is clear to approach?" She was answered with a nod of the head and, without a second glance, rushed over to an ambulance that Tony was being loaded into.

He saw her and frowned. When she told the EMTs that she was the man's fiancee, and they allowed her to come in as well, Tony actually looked scared. She wanted to savor it for a little bit, but thought she could hold off. "You are alright?" she asked him.

"Other than this shoulder keeps getting battered up, I'm peachy. It's through and through, so no biggie, but I have no idea where Gibbs is," he answered her.

"According to the information the authorities have the shooter got out and Gibbs was in pursuit," she answered. "What happened?"

Tony sighed. "Well, when I showed up here, Gibbs wasn't home so I called him looking for him. When we were on the phone, I heard footsteps upstairs and told him. He said to wait, but before he returned, I heard the sound of breaking glass and felt the searing hot metal in my arm," Tony explained.

"You followed orders!" she joked, trying hide the fear she was feeling, even though nothing grave occurred. "That is a first."

"Well, sweetcheeks, after fifteen years, something's gotta sink in," Tony punned right back. "Anyone hear from Gibbs?"

"No, but I am certain that not only are local municipalities searching for the shooter, but a number of federal agencies as well," Ziva replied.

Then Tony turned his head, looking down at something. He flinched when he tried to reposition his arm, then turned to look at her. "And how are you and the little one doing?" He almost sounded afraid to ask.

"Why, I am fine, my little hairy butt as is our daugher. But at the rate you are going, I am not sure you will be able to hold her when she arrives," Ziva smirked at him. That seemed to get a reaction from the tech who was in the back with them. A strange look crossed her face, but she remained silent. Ziva continued. "But we shall be having a talk about this when you are all better. And, I think that while they are treating you, I should call your father, let him know what has happened."

Tony cringed. "No, really, I'm fine, no need to alert Senior!" He looked back to the tech. "Tell her I'm fine, that you're going to just patch me up and send me home!"

The woman decided to update him about his condition. "Sir, you have a bullet wound in your shoulder, and we have to make sure it hasn't gotten infected. Plus, you may need surgery if the bullet did the number I think it did on your shoulder."

Ziva couldn't help the sideways glance and the way her lips curved upwards.


	85. Chapter 85

_Two things are happening here. One is I decided to relegate the case to the amount of attention it was conceived of originally. That is to say, it was nothing. I didn't want to get in-depth at all into the capture or interrogation. It was background from the start and background it ended as._

 _The second thing is, the death of Jackson Gibbs. I kept it as the show had it, Vance bringing the information to Gibbs, but naturally the circumstances are very different. And I thought it would be interesting to see someone outside their usual circle being the one to learn it first, and being the father of one of them at that._

Anthony DiNozzo, Senior, was just about to sit down and enjoy a nightcap when his phone rang. Picking it up, he smiled when he saw the picture of Ziva David on it. "Hello, my dear," he said.

"Hello, Senior," Ziva replied in her most subdued tone. "I'm just calling to tell you, that, well…"

He grew concerned when she didn't come right out and tell him the reason for the call. His first thought was the baby. Even as the logical part of his mind told him she wouldn't be the one calling if that were so, he asked anyway. "Are you alright? The baby?"

"Yes, I am fine, the baby is fine. It's just...It's Tony," she admitted finally. "He was shot again."

"What?!" At once, memories of the call from McGee a few months ago came back to the surface, those few hours when he didn't know if Tony were dead or alive.

Suddenly, Ziva answered back. "He is fine, it was in the arm. We think the suspect we have been looking for all this time was at Gibbs' house, where Tony had gone to report in. Gibbs was not there, however, but a shot was fired from the upstairs. He's lost some blood, but I don't believe he ever lost consciousness. When I arrived with McGee and Bishop, he was being loaded into an ambulance. We are at the hospital now, and the doctors are giving him a look."

Senior took a deep breath, relief flooding in around him. He asked which hospital and then promised her he'd be there in no time. She was thankful and said she would wait for him in the emergency room.

As he drove, he once again went through the nerve wracking worry that his son's job entailed. He had once been accused of not approving of it, but as he had told Junior, his aloofness was more to do with worry than approval. And he knew Junior was good at it. Gibbs had told him many times just how great of an agent he was, and Senior knew the man was not one to gush. Still, it was moments like this that played in the older man's nightmare on what felt like a weekly basis.

He got to the hospital and made his way to the ER. As promised, Ziva was waiting for him. She began to lead him to the cubicle his son was in, but held her back. "How is he, really?"

She must have noticed the worry on his face and gave him a big smile as she held the curtain aside. Laying on the bed with his arm in a sling, Junior was begging the doctor for his release from the hospital. "I can't do that sir, we want to keep you overnight at least to ensure there's no infection. You were lucky it didn't do any more damage or you'd be looking at surgery."

"But, buddy!" Tony remarked, then saw his father. "You really want to worry my old man or my fiancee? I mean, something like this, it could cause her to go into premature labor. And my dad, he could worry himself right into this hospital!"

The doctor ignored him, but nodded in Ziva and Senior's direction as he exited. Once he was gone, Senior gave him the closest thing he had to a disapproving look. "Using us to get yourself out of here? That's laying it on thick, don't you think?"

"Besides, my doctor tells me I am within the timeframe for full term. And, even if I was not, they say she is already at least six pounds, a healthy weight no matter what," Ziva chided, joining Senior in his look.

"I don't want to hear it, Dad," Tony said, holding his finger up.

Senior shook his head. "I wasn't saying anything about this latest incident. I have accepted you like your chosen profession and I have no say in it." Junior seemed to ease, but his father wasn't finished. "Ziva, my dear, are you sure you are alright? Maybe you should have a doctor check you out. Especially so close and with this terrible stress my son has put you through again."

He winked at her and she smiled playfully, catching on to what he was doing. He knew that normally, she would probably play along some more with him, but she demurred this time. "As I said, I am fine."

No matter. Senior lavished all his attention on her for the next few minutes, and pointedly ignored the whining coming from the hospital bed. When he did return his attention to his son, he smirked. "But I thought you were all better, no need to be in a hospital. Isn't that what you were saying when I walked in here?"

"Alright, alright! Uncle! Uncle!," he cried after his father's barbed words. Then he slumped back into the bed. "Have you heard any news?" he asked Ziva. "McGee? Bishop? Gibbs?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing yet. But I suspect whoever your shooter was has been dealt with."

"In a manner of speaking," a familiar voice chimed in. Senior turned to see Tim McGee approach the hospital bed.

"And? Don't keep us in suspense, Timmy!" Tony demanded.

"He was taken into custody, which I'm surprised by. Gibbs cornered him and slapped the cuffs on just as the FBI got to there location. Fornell promised to escort him back to NCIS with two agents and keep him on ice until everything else is dealt with," the younger man reported.

"Gotta love the FBI. Day late and five minutes short. And they better not claim credit for the collar. I am sick and tired of us not getting our due credit," Tony moaned, even as he mood lightened. "Where is our leader?"

"He held Bishop back with him while they gave statements, things like that. He said he would be here soon and he said to listen to your doctors or you'll get a slap that sends you around the world," McGee replied, an evil smile on his face.

"Don't get too comfortable. This time, I am not nearly as injured and I will be back to make your life a living hell," Tony threatened, even though they all knew there was nothing backing it up.

After a moment of silence, they heard the sound of heavy boots clomping around the halls. When the head of black hair poked in from the side, again, Senior was relaxed. "Hey, Tony," Abby said sheepishly.

"You're not panicking," Tony stated, sounding surprised.

"Oh, when Tim called he said it was like a flesh wound. No reason to cry about the end of days for that!" she explained, pushing her normal worry aside.

"It's a little more than a flesh wound, Abbs," Tony corrected her. "And it still hurts like hell."

"Aww, poor baby," Abby cooed, heading to the side of the bed where Ziva had positioned herself. But instead of comforting Tony, the Goth's attention was on the mother-to-be. "Is daddy stressing you out? Well, payback may be high."

That sent almost everyone into a fit of laughter, as Abby went to where Senior was standing. She gave him a warm hug and he left his arm around her shoulders. And it looked like there was a brief glimpse of jealousy coming from his son. But Junior shook it off, batting his hand in their general direction. "Thanks, can feel the love from here," he grumbled.

"Well that's good to know, DiNozzo," Gibbs joined in. He nodded his head towards the bed. "How you doing?"

"How is my shooter doing is the better question," Tony replied. "Who was it?"

"Former Corporal Wren's in custody and pretty much has his ticket stamped for Gitmo, but I'll let our backup deal with him," Gibbs told them. "In the end, it was fear that drove him, not that that's an excuse."

They were conversing some more when Senior noticed Director Vance approaching. There was a look on his face that seemed out of place with the generally cheer atmosphere on the room. But it looked like he was trying to hide it, at least for the time being. "Agent DiNozzo," he began.

"Director, I'm just going to say this now, I don't need to talk to a head shrinker. I'm fine, there's no psychological trauma and I'll be ready to take my marksmanship test as soon as I get out of here," Tony said quickly.

"That's good to here, I will take it under advisement and I doubt that will be anytime soon. But I am glad you've come out of this one no worse for the wear," Vance said, with pursed lips. "Actually, Gibbs, can I talk to you in private?"

Senior saw the look on Gibbs' face, but left the cubicle with the director. Nothing was said about the director's calling the other man to the side, but Senior, never one to not be nosy, moved to a place where his line of sight placed the other men into it. Vance's hand came up to Gibbs' shoulder, and he could see some gestures of protest, but at last, Junior's superior moved away and made his way to the exit.

Anthony DiNozzo Senior knew those looks and those gestures and even without hearing a word, knew something else tragic had happened this night. His sympathies went out to Leroy Jethro Gibbs.


	86. Chapter 86

_Leon Vance, having a very bad day, from start to finish, with Gibbs. And then throw in the CIA, Tony's shooting, and then being the bearer of bad news, so yeah, not the best day for the NCIS director._

Vance should have known it was going to be a long day when he first stepped into the office that morning. He was there at 0600 and Jethro Gibbs was already at his desk, probably had been there for a couple of hours. By 1600, when he came up to talk to Vance, the director had decided to ask his agent what time he had gotten in. Vance grunted at the answer.

It had been taken all the strength Vance had to throw Gibbs out of the building. He had protested, but when his boss had noted some of his latest, and not greatest, personality ticks, he grumbled a few curses before heading to the elevator.

Vance was confident that Agent DiNozzo would pick up where his boss had left off, although he had not been following orders that had been laid out to him either. But he was more rested and relaxed, so when Clayton Webb and Trent Kort had shown up at NCIS headquarters, Leon knew they would be handled. But it had still taken every ounce of strength he had not to throw the two out.

The two CIA agents departed a short time later and Vance had been alert to that fact by Agent McGee, who also told him DiNozzo had gone to Gibbs' house to personally give him the information that had been passed on. Vance was about to question McGee why he had gone and not called, but changed his mind, deciding DiNozzo was right. Leon really didn't think it was a good idea for Gibbs to come back in. He'd never get the other man to leave the other way.

Vance had been in the middle of reading debriefings when his secretary had buzzed him, telling him Bishop was on the phone. Vance answered it.

"We just got a call. Tony's at Gibbs' place and he just called to tell us he's been shot," the young agent had informed him.

If it weren't so serious, it would have been comical to the NCIS director. The man seemed to have magnets in his body lately, with the number of times he had been shot over the last few months. Leon relax a bit when Bishop said it didn't appear to be serious, but they were taking him to the hospital just in case.

That got Leon to pack up for the day. He had taken two steps from his desk when Pamela buzzed him again. "It's a Sheriff Ed Gantry from Stillwater, Pennsylvania, looking for Gibbs. I'm still not sure how it got bumped up to you."

"That's alright. Put him through," Leon replied, setting his briefcase back on the desk and reaching for the phone. "This is Director Vance."

"Sir, Ed Gantry, Stillwater sheriff. I'm sorry to bother you with this, but I'm having a hard time reaching Leroy," the other man said on his end. It made Leon smile, hearing Gibbs' first name, so rarely said around him. He was often 'Gibbs' or 'Jethro', but the only person he had ever heard use the name Leroy had been his father. At the thought of the older gentleman, Leon felt a chill run down his spine.

"He's not available at the moment, but if you need information passed on, I will see he gets it," Vance answered, saying a quick prayer the call was not what he was thinking it would be about.

"Well, sir, I was calling to inform him…" Gantry was hesitating, and Vance knew what had happened.

"Is this about Gibbs' father?" Leon asked.

He could hear an intake of air through the connection. Then, "Yes, sir. Mr. Gibbs suffered a massive stroke a few hours ago. He was rushed to a local hospital, but by then, there was nothing that could be done. I'm sorry to have to send the message to Leroy…"

Vance nodded. "Thank you, Sheriff Gantry. I will see that Gibbs is informed." With that he ended the call. He grabbed his case again and headed out the door. Pamela looked up to say goodnight, but must have seen the look on his face. "Any word on DiNozzo?" he asked, not wanting to tell anyone else before getting word to Jethro.

"McGee called. He's at the hospital, but is going to be alright," she said. "And I think that Agent Gibbs would be there by now as well, Director."

Another nod and Vance was gone. He got to the hospital found, the area where DiNozzo and half the MCRT was, along with Tony Senior. A little small talk and he pulled Gibbs aside.

Leon was silent for a moment, prompting Gibbs to ask, "What's wrong, Leon?"

Heaving a deep breath, Vance said, "I got a call from the police chief up in Stillwater. Jethro, your father...he suffered another stroke. I'm sorry." It was all that needed to be said. The two men stood in silence for a while longer, Vance patting his hand on Gibbs' shoulder.

"I...I need to interrogate Wren," Gibbs said.

"No you don't. You need to get up there." Gibbs' mouth opened to argue his point, but Leon never gave him the chance. "Consider that an order, same as you gave me after Jackie died." Vance hated pulling that card, but it got his point across. Gibbs turned and headed to the exit.

When he was out of sight, Vance walked back to the curtain around Tony's bed. He saw the young man's father waiting there. "You spying on my conversation?" Vance whispered, a smirk playing on his mouth.

"Well, it was so much fun the last time, playing in your world," he tried to joke. But the air had grown heavy and Vance and Senior knew it. "His father?" When Vance nodded, Senior's gaze fell to the floor. "Junior told me he hadn't been doing well." Then he stepped aside, allowing Vance to rejoin the group.

"Hey, Director, where's Gibbs?" Tony asked. His spirits seemed so up, despite his most recent experience, Vance hated to be the one the have them come crashing down.

"Got a call from the sheriff up in Gibbs' hometown," Vance began. However, before anything more could be said, his face told the rest of the story.

"Not Mr. G!" Abby cried, tears already streaming down her face.

It was Ziva who spoke up next. "How?"

"Stroke. By the time they got him to the hospital, it was too late," Vance continued. "I had to order him to go up. He should be on his way now."

Vance knew how close all of these people were to Jackson Gibbs. He had become the unofficial grandfather of the group and Jackson had complimented Vance directly on each and every one of them. This was a hard hit, not question.

"Tomorrow morning, with your permission, I'd like to head up there, help Gibbs out any way I can, sir," DiNozzo asked, as if the NCIS Director could get him released.

But Vance thought about it for a minute. "I'm going to call Ducky down here, see what his medical opinion is, and then we'll see what can be done to get you out of here. Is that a deal?"

DiNozzo swallowed, but nodded his head, as Vance stepped away to place the call. It was no time at all that the medical examiner was there, looking over Tony's charts. After Ducky returned, presumably from talking with the attending doctor, Ducky smiled. "They want to keep you overnight, but your release should come through first thing in the morning. I did stress the importance of it, and assured them that I would be accompanying you there, so if there are any further difficulties…"

"Well, you can't drive, Tony, and neither is it a good idea that I drive," Ziva said.

"I'll get us up there, if it's allright with you, Director," McGee suggested, waiting for a go order.

"And I can also go, sir, because Mr. Gibbs was such a sweet man and Jethro needs us there," Abby added as cheerily as she could manage in spite of the news.

Leon Vance thought about his options. He could tell them no, that someone needed to be minding the store, but he also knew he would probably be disobeyed as well. All of them, friends of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, wanted to be there for the loner, even if he wouldn't want them there. But Vance knew what the son needed now, the family he had built surrounding him, as he lost the last of his blood.


	87. Chapter 87

_I wanted to do something very different with this chapter, and I do revisit a lot of what we saw in "Heartland." I even open it with a Jackson's first line to his son. The chapter eventually comes around being a lot of Chuck, creating a little more backstory for him and Gibbs. Like many of the darker characters the show has had, I decided to soften him up a little more._

It was once said that word got around when people opened their mouths and talked. And that was how the news passed through Stillwater.

Ed Gantry came into the luncheonette for his morning coffee and told Doris Carney. She had run the place for the past thirty-five years and knew everyone in town, knew their families. The sheriff told her he'd caught sight of Leroy Gibbs' souped up car late the night before so, knowing the reason the federal agent had returned, personally escort him to the hospital. That sent her out on the street, headed for the General Store. Even though it was still early, she could see Jackson Gibbs' son with a broom in his hand aimlessly sweeping the floor. She pulled the door open and entered.

"I am sorry for your loss, Leroy," she said. When the man looked up at her, she added, "He was a wonderful soul. Have you made the arrangements yet?"

"Not going to be much. He wasn't exactly religious and there's no other family left," Leroy said.

"He was a part of this community for sixty years. He has a lot of friends who are going to want to express their condolences you," she replied. "Let me at least arrange something for afterwards."

"It's not necessary," Gibbs told her.

She smiled at him, remembering how stubborn he was, a trait he inherited from his father, no doubt about it. So she decided to be equally stubborn. "I'm going to do it, for the community." Her tone brooked no argument. "When will he be buried?"

"Most likely, day after tomorrow," he acquiesced.

After seeing him, she headed back to her place and began making lists. By noon, many people who came into the diner learned the news. Among them was Emily Kingston, who came in to pick up lunch for her father. That was when Doris informed her that Jackson had died, and her beautiful features turned sad. Paying for the food, she headed over to the store.

There was a customer, either paying or chatting with Agent Gibbs. She waited patiently for them to finish up before approaching the counter. "Mr. Gibbs, I heard the news. I am so sorry for you loss."

"Thank you," he said, short and quiet like he had been with Ethan's case.

"I never did get to thank you, sir." Gibbs looked like he didn't know what she was talking about. "You help me find out I have a brother, and he was already my best friend."

"And how is the Staff Sergeant?" Gibbs asked her, a smile forming from his lips.

"He's been stationed at Lejeune for the past two years, but he comes to visit as often as he can. In fact, he's at the house now," she answered. That made an eyebrow raise. "He and Daddy, well, they're still some water under that bridge, but they have a relationship. And he's help out with Chris, now that Nick's no longer in the picture. He loves his uncle."

She didn't feel like there was anymore that needed to be said, and she left. She headed home to find Ethan making himself a lunch. "Mr. Gibbs died last night," she told as they headed for the dining room. Ethan seemed to soak up the information. "Mr. Gibbs, well, Agent Gibbs, he's at the store I guess to have it open for the day."

"Leroy's back in town?" a voice called and she saw their father step in to join them. He was opening the paper wrapping of the sandwich, taking a first bite and awaiting her answer.

Emily nodded. "His father died last night," she said.

Chuck Winslow stopped dead in his tracks at that information. Flashes of memories played in his head, from scuffling with a younger version of the man in their teens to him standing in the dining room, informing him he had a son. It was something he knew already, but was afraid to acknowledge and Leroy brought it out into the open. Maybe it was a good thing in the end. "Where is Gibbs?" he asked.

After his daughter told him, he got up from the table immediately, surprising his two kids. Heading into town, parking his car on the street outside of the general store, he paused before making his next move.

He and Leroy had been friends, once, but that was back when they were kids. Gibbs, senior, had been a foreman at the mine for Chuck's father. Those two had their falling out when Jackson left the mine because of his wife's concerns. Their animosity trickled down to he and Leroy, eventually ending in the fight that stopped when Jackson fired off the old Winchester outside the store. It wasn't much longer, after that, that Gibbs left Stillwater for Paris Island. He only returned infrequently, the last time when he got transferred to Virginia when Kelly was still a baby.

After that, he didn't even hear Gibbs' name for years, until the news reached Stillwater that Shannon and Kelly had been killed out in California. But even after that, it was still another seventeen years that he even showed his face in town, and it was due to business. Looking back, maybe Chuck should be a little grateful to Gibbs. He was still appalled with what his now former son-in-law had tried to do, but in truth, Chuck himself had set those wheels in motion long before it got to that point.

Chuck looked out the windshield of his car and noticed Leroy was standing at the door of the store, staring at him. That prompted him to get out of his car and make his way over. By the time he reached the general store, Gibbs was back inside, sitting at the table, reading the newspaper. He barely glanced up as Winslow sat down.

"Heard the news," he said at last. "I am sorry for your loss," Chuck said.

The only response he received back was a single nod.

Chuck narrowed his eyes, knowing he wasn't going to get an inch from Leroy. He looked around the store, his eyes falling on the rifle on the wall. "Surprised that thing still works," he said conversationally.

"So was dad," Gibbs responded, closing the paper. "When we came back here from getting the DNA samples, he said he did even have it loaded up."

That made Chuck laugh. "Ed sure thought is was. Jackson kept him at bay with the threat of being shot by it." He fell back into silence, when the sound of a car braking was heard in the store. Chuck and Leroy both looked at the door, watching as five people, two women and three men, opened it and walked in.

Chuck recognized four of the people as part of Gibbs' team who had come to investigate Ethan's connections back in Stillwater. The fifth was an older gentleman he did not remember, but must have been a colleague from DC.

When the unfamiliar man spoke, it was with an accent, maybe English. "Jethro," he began seeming to not notice Chuck, "I don't think it needs to be said, but I shall say it anyway. You have my deepest, as well, I am sure, the rest of our, condolences." He reached out his hand and Leroy took it, gathering him in an embrace.

When he separated, Leroy nodded. "Thank you, Duck." He stepped back some more, then held his hand in Chuck's direction. "Chuck, I'm sure you remember most of my team, but I would like to reintroduce them." He pointed to each one, calling off their names.

When he came to this man who seemed to be a very good friend as well, Chuck shook his hand. "Doctor Donald Mallard, our medical examiner. Ducky, Chuck Winslow."

"Pleased to meet you, Doctor. I think, however, I should be getting back, as I see Leroy here has his people with him." Chuck reached out for Gibbs' hand once more. "Again, Leroy, I am sorry for your loss. He was a hell of a guy."

The reply he got in return was the warmest he had gotten from the man in decades. He even cracked a smile, a genuine one as he shook Chuck's hand. He left after that, watching as the 'open' sign was flipped to 'closed'.

At least Leroy had some family to support him. That actually made Chuck happy, knowing the loner had gotten some back, after all this time.


	88. Chapter 88

_Ducky has been down this road, being the last of a family to bury a parent so he gets to lightly lecture. I also had to have Ducky doing a little psych digging, as I don't see him passing on the opportunity. Also not passing on at least the attempt at digging into Gibbs' past is, of course, Tony. Because, really, would he ever?_

When Jethro's visitor left, Ducky turned to Tony, Ziva, Tim and Abby. "Is there any place here to get a good cup of tea?" he asked them collectively. The four looked amongst themselves and when they turned back to the medical examiner, caught the look on his face.

"Hey, you guys hungry?" Tony asked. "I'm famished. Couldn't identify what they put in front of me at the hospital, so I haven't eaten a bite."

"Yeah, I think I saw a diner down the street," Tim agreed, already heading for the door. "I could use some lunch."

"Yes, and I am sure a cup of tea will relax me after a difficult few day," Ziva added. They were all about outside when it was noticed who wasn't moving with them. "Abby, I am sure you could eat something, yes?"

"No, guys, I'm fine, actually," she called back.

Tim went over and yanked her arm, almost making her fall over. "Come on, Abby. We'll be back in a little bit."

When they were gone, Ducky returned his attention to Gibbs. His friend looked like he knew what was coming, and steeled himself for the onslaught in silence.

Ducky knew what he was going to say during the drive up. "When my mother died, I, too, said nothing to any of you. I kept quiet immediately after, and never said anything. If it had not been for Abigail finding me at the cemetery, the whole thing would have gone unnoticed, which I was perfectly fine with. But you came to me and questioned as to why I had kept it all so quiet."

"I knew this wouldn't be kept quiet, Ducky. Figured Vance told you all immediately," told him, his voice quiet and almost lifeless.

"Well, I heard about it from Timothy. He called me down to the hospital for a second opinion on Anthony's condition," Ducky explained, with a small chuckle. "First time in a long time I have been asked for a consultation on a patient."

"Ducky…" Jethro must have sensed he was about to go off on one of his usual tangents, and probably wanted to stop him.

"I brought a bag with me, for the next few days. And do not even try to tell me no. It's an argument you shan't win."

Gibbs opened his mouth, probably to protest, but Ducky gave him a stern look, which made him say, instead, "We'll go over to the house in a bit."

Ducky smiled. "Now that that has been settled, what can I do to help?"

Jethro exhaled a breath and sat down at the table. "There's not much to be done. I was going to head over to the funeral home, make the final arrangements. Told them I'd be a little late, wanted to mind the store." His last line must have made him smile, and Ducky chuckled again.

"When the children come back, perhaps they wouldn't mind hanging around here, to let you make the final preparation?" Ducky asked.

"And leave Tony to nose around my past if someone comes looking for me?" The question was utterly incredulous.

"Tell Ziva to make sure he doesn't get too carried away. I am sure she wouldn't mind reining him in," he suggested, a knowing gleam in his eye. Then he looked around the store. "So this is the famous Stillwater General Store. And that is the Winchester you were not allowed to have?"

"Yeah," Gibbs said. Then he seemed to be caught in a memory. "When we got here six years ago, one of them asked Dad if that was the rifle I learned to shoot on. He told them that, because I wasn't allowed near that thing, that was the reason I became a sniper."

Ducky could have had a field day with that comment, but decided to let it slide. "I am assuming you have the plans laid out already."

"Graveside service, Reverend Phillips most likely, but Dad was never really religious, even before my mom died."

Ducky nodded. "Tim said they would be going home towards the end of the day, but felt their place was here. Vance said Tony even asked permission to come. Although I am sure the director knew it was wiser to allow them than not."

They were interrupted by some people stopping in and extending their condolences. Eventually, the younger ones returned to the store and then, more formally, one by one, they all extended their sympathies, extolling the virtues of the man they had been unexpectedly, but fortunately, been able to meet.

"By the way, although it may be in poor taste, McGee, why did you tell Mr. Gibbs you thought he was dead? I have always wondered that," Ziva asked in genuine curiosity.

McGee face turned several shades of red, but before he was able to explain, Tony jumped in. "Wasn't that the time you were threatened by the mafioso, Boss?" Gibbs made no reply, so he took that as his entre. His attention back on Ziva, he began his story. "Well, see, Fornell was accused of working with this mobster and Gibbs was trying to clear his name. So they eventually made a deal to swap the mob's insider for the guy's son who we picked up for a death on Quantico. The mobster threatened Gibbs, saying he's go after his brothers, uncles, parents, whatever."

At last, Gibbs couldn't resist, continuing with "I told him no brothers, uncle and that my dad had died. But I offered him the names of my exes instead. He didn't like my alternative."

"What, you'd have served Diane up on a silver platter for the guy? You ever tell Fornell?" Abby asked mischievously.

"Nah, didn't need to, in the end. And, really, at that point, we were still in the same boat about her, so he wouldn't have minded then," Gibbs told them.

It was a few minutes more that anyone spoke up. "Gibbs, you know, if there is anything you need assistance with, that is why we are here," Ziva said, nodding her head in the directions of the others.

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah, keep an eye on the store, if you don't mind. I need to finish making the arrangements." Four heads nodded enthusiastically, Tony's the most. "And keep him under wraps. Don't want him to give folks the third degree."

Tony's uninjured hand rested over his heart. "Boss, I'm insulted. You think I'd use your pain to dig into your past?"

A chorus of "Yes" echoed from everyone in the store, making Tony look even more perturbed. When he saw Ducky and Gibbs shoot him final, stern looks as they exited the building and headed for the car, his expression at least conceded their point, so his last comment on the subject was, "Don't worry, Boss, I keep it only to a minimum."

Ducky somehow doubted that. But, thankfully, Ziva and the others were there to keep him under control.


	89. Chapter 89

_I actually was told via a comment something that made me do a little editing on this chapter. I did not realize that Jews typically did not have baby showers. Since I'd already written the shower, I tweaked here that all the gifts for the baby were removed from the house afterwards. Except for one thing, which was conveniently left behind._

 _I also decided this would be an important enough occasion for Tony to have his bonnet hanky. It will eventually be making a reappearance when I get around to writing the wedding._ _And I also address something that has peeved me for over a decade. For being shown as such good friends, as well as Jethro warning Tobias about Diane, it looked like, in the premiere episode, like Fornell and Gibbs had never met. I try to explain it a little here._

It was the day of the burial of Jackson Gibbs and Tony was finishing getting dressed. But, due to his arm in a sling because of his latest gunshot wound, he was finding tying his tie to be difficult. "Ziva?" he called out for her.

She responded from the baby's room. "I'm in here, Tony."

He joined her there, the tie in his hand. "Can you help a guy out a little?" he asked her when he found her tracing the edges of the frame Jackson Gibbs had given them for the baby. It was the only thing in the room, hanging on the wall next to the closet. His eyes stared at it too. "Maybe we'll meet Jackson's lady friend, thank her for this."

"I would like that," Ziva replied, her gaze never leaving the gift until Tony cleared his throat. That made her turn to him. "Yes, let me get that for you." As she tightened and straightened his neckwear, she noticed something. "This is your Hermes handkerchief?"

Tony looked down at it, grinning. "Yep. Baby Boy DiNozzo's first bonnet." He pulled it out and indicated a small hole made by a stitch. "See, that was where it was gathered for the hat," then he thumbed another corner, "and that is where the ribbon was."

Ziva had a smile on her face, probably imagining him wearing it. "That was a sweet present Linda gave us."

"It was nice to see her and I'm actually grateful that she and dad broke up. Not that she'd probably have been the best of the lot, but still, it's weird to think about her and Senior…" The doorbell interrupted him. He glanced at his watch. That must be McGee.

On the way back from Stillwater a few days ago, it was decided that, since Tony was injured and Ziva too far along in her pregnancy, Tim would do the driving up to Stillwater on the day of the funeral. He added Delilah to their car later on that evening. Jimmy agreed to take a second car for himself, Breena, Abby and Ducky's return. Director Vance would go in the car with Ellie and Jake. It would be a sizeable group of Gibb's colleagues there to support him.

Tony's mind went back to just after the director broke the news of Mr. Gibbs' passing. While waiting for Ducky to arrive for a medical opinion, he heard Ziva whisper unfamiliar words and realized it was the Kaddish prayer. She was never very religious, he knew, but he keenly remembered the last time he had heard those words. It had been when she had returned to the Vance residence and found her father's bloodied body slumped in the dining room.

When he had gotten the release, Tim had given them the ride home and while in the car, Tony had asked her about saying it for Jackson. "Though it is generally not allowed, it does not matter to me what his religion was," she replied, her answer as simple as that.

A second ringing of the doorbell revived him from the memories he was reliving standing in his daughter's room. "I don't think Timmy's going to wait much longer for us," he said. He offered her the arm not in the sling and they headed for the door.

As expected, Tim looked a little peeved that he had been kept waiting. "If we hang around here any longer, we'll be late. It's not like Stillwater is around the corner, you know?" he muttered, turning his back and heading to his car.

When they got in, both said a quick hello to Delilah. "What kept you?" she asked conversationally.

"We were just getting ready. I had to do Tony's tie for him," Ziva answered.

"Are you going to try and stop attracting bullet, Tony? Really, the schtick is getting old," she joked with him.

"You're telling me. You think I like having to retake my marksmanship test every couple of month?" Tony replied. "Hey, you heard from Palmer and Bishop?"

"Jimmy was just at Abby's and the director asked Ellie to pick him up kind of early, from what she told me. We're actually the last ones to get on the road," McGee said.

Tony nodded at that. "I also got a call from Fornell last night. Seems he and Diane are also going to head up as well."

"Well, she was married to Gibbs, so Mr. Gibbs was family to her for a time," Ziva reasoned. "And Fornell is the closest thing I have ever seen Gibbs have to a best friend." Something about her comment made Tony remember something, which made him laugh. "What are you finding funny now, Tony?" she asked him.

"Nothing. Just remembering when, years ago, we crossed paths with Fornell and the two acted like they didn't know each other," he said. "You want to hear the story? It'll kill the time, as McGranny is behind the wheel."

"Hey, I'm going the speed limit!" he yelped.

"You do drive kind of slow, Tim," Delilah admonished him before turning around to address DiNozzo directly. "I always love to hear stories about the old days."

"Well, this story is so old, it's B.M.," Tony said. When no one seemed to get his drift, he explained, "Before McGee? Get it? Whatever." He took a breath before launching into the story. "Anyway, a Navy Commander dropped dead on Air Force One, after having lunch with Bush forty-three. He was the one who carried the nuclear codes. Anyway, when we got word, Ducky called ahead to Omaha, where they parked the plane and got the coroner out there to hold everyone else at bay until we could get there. So here's this scene of FBI, in the personage of Fornell and Secret Service, Agent Caitlin Todd, and the three of us come with Ducky taking the lead and Gibbs and I acting like his assistants. We managed to shake Fornell, who for who know's what reason, didn't catch on. Kate, well, as Secret Service, she demanded to stay with us for the flight back. Now, apparently, back here in DC, the other two agencies were conspiring against us running with the whole thing, so we stowed the body and when the FBI came to pick up the bag, well, the commander wasn't the one in it."

"Who was in the body bag?"

Tony grew quiet and got a little sheepish. "You know how you've all wondered if I ever got dropped on my head?"

"You were in the bag?" Tim asked, not even trying to hide his laughter. "What happen, you get thrown out of the car?" When Tony didn't answer, Tim laughed some more.

"Laugh it up, Probie."

"Aw, now, be nice to McGee. It's not often he hears about you being humiliated," Ziva chuckled at his side as she rubbed his arm. "So, did you solve the case?"

"Yes, and it was one of those cases you all would have hated. Very movie-sque., and I wasn't even the one to make the connection," Tony replied with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Delilah asked. "Why do you say movie-sque?"

Tim let out a groan. "Tony has a habit of finding a movie reference in every case-"

"Not every case," Tony defended.

"-like whenever there's a fugitive on the loose, he breaks out into a speech from 'The Fugitive'," Tim said.

"Or if it involved nuclear weapons, it's," Ziva stopped to think. "What was the movie with George Clooney-"

"'The Peacemaker' also with Nicole Kidman," he supplied.

"Yes, I remember that from the first time we worked together," she said.

He remembered that time, too. "Anyway, Gibbs realized the terrorist got the president to change planes to a less technologically advanced version to gain easier access to the onboard weapons," he finished. "And I wasn't even there to hear it." Tony noted with a disappointed feeling.

They continued to tell more stories to Delilah, about first meetings and weird cases, passing the time until, at last, the car stops. Tony looks out and sees a lone man standing among a field of stones. Gibbs, standing as sentinel, waiting to bury his father.

Tony gulped. "Let's go," he told the others.


	90. Chapter 90

_Abby and her jazz funeral. I couldn't ignore her tradition, and I was slightly upset when they didn't do it on NICS for the funeral. And the image of Tony escorting Abby on the show was part of the impetus for me writing this story, to have Abby on one arm and Ziva on the other. I also had to include Tobias and Diane for a number of reasons, not the least of which was have them enter bickering._

Abby didn't know how it was possible, but Jimmy Palmer pulled up right behind McGee's car at the cemetery. "I thought they left after us?" he wondered allowed. "Was Ziva driving?"

Abby smiled at that. Ziva's driving had become legendary in the office. She had nearly killed Tony and Tim on her first day on the job. It often seemed to be a competition between her and Gibbs being the crazier driver of the two. It seemed like a reasonable question to ask, if Ziva didn't look about ready to go into labor. That made Abby sit up a little straighter, curious as to why that thought had popped into her brain.

As she got out of the car, she noticed that it was Tim who emerged from the driver's door, with Tony behind him. He walked around the back and helped Ziva out while Tim helped Delilah. Once all the door were closed, Abby, her parasol in hand as always, walked over to Tony, who already had Ziva on his good arm.

Tony smiled at her, and offered her his injured one as they three made their way closer to Gibbs. He was still standing there, while Ducky sat in a chair quietly. Soon after reaching the doctor, a third car pulled up, and Ellie, Jake and the director walked towards them.

Eventually, Gibbs turned to all of them, as stone-faced as ever. It hurt Abby's heart to see him dealing with his loss, well, like he seemed to deal with everything else. She left Tony's side and went to give Gibbs the biggest hug she could. She was surprised that he returned it. Pecks on the cheek, pats on the back, that was the normal way he showed his affection for her. This was something rare, and something she would always treasure.

"I am so sorry, Gibbs," her voice wavered, tears falling down her cheeks.

'Thank you, Abbs," was all he said.

"If you need anything, you call me, alright? Anything. Promise me that." It was a demand, if a gentle one. She knew he rarely liked to ask for help, but she wanted to make clear she was there for him if he needed it.

He nodded, wordless.

Abby saw Tony and Ziva from her peripheral vision and stepped aside as Gibbs got another hug from Tony, who added a pat on the head. Abby could see a small grin form on Gibbs' lips, a nod to the many head slaps he had given Tony over the years. Turning to Ziva, she also gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, whispering something to him as privately as possible.

Tim and Delilah, Ellie and Jake, Jimmy and Breena, they all followed the procession of mourners paying their respect to the deceased's son. Vance appeared to bring up the rear, shaking Gibbs hand as he moved to his side.

The peacefulness of the surroundings was briefly disturbed by the sound of two new voices bickering. Abby figured out who it was before she saw them, but knew it was right for Tobias and Diane to offer their comfort, as at least one of them had been part of Jackson's family at one time. When Diane reached Gibbs, there were tears in her eyes.

Abby noticed an elderly black man standing to the other side of Gibbs. She realized that must have been Mr. Gibbs' friend, the one where the name Leroy Jethro came from.

It seemed, at last, that all everyone who needed to be there, was. The minister said cleared his throat and spoke up. "I'd like to say a few words about Jackson, at least in deference to his son, who has always been amazingly laconic compared to his father." Abby couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up and saw sniggering from Tony and McGee. "Jackson Gibbs was a part of this community for almost his entire life. He married and raised a son here in Stillwater. He was a business owner whose store remained a part of this town even as times got tough. He traveled, well into his senior years, but always made sure to come home."

"Jackson Gibbs knew the pain of loss, but also the awesomeness of forgiveness. He lost family and he gained some back in an unexpected way. And he was a tough son-of-a-bitch," the minister continued, eliciting another ripple of laughter through the crowd.

As the minister was still speaking, Abby looked around, beyond her friends and colleagues. She saw a young man in a Marine uniform and knew it was Ethan LaCombe, who, because of her bloodwork, discovered his family. Ethan was holding hands with a young woman, probably the sister that her discovery included. It made her smile that she had a hand in that, reconnecting a family.

Next, two in Air Force uniforms took hold of the flag that lay on the coffin and began the intricate folds of it. As they did their duty, Abby heard a voice whisper, "I wonder if the Army would be feeling left out?" She didn't looked down the row until she heard a gasp, where Ziva's elbow must have hit the mark in Tony's stomach.

When the task was completed, the flag was presented to Gibbs and they saluted him. Gibbs returned the salute.

The gathering joined in a few prayers and then each were asked to place a rose on the coffin. Abby's emotions began to overtake her, and she wiped her eyes with a tissue she didn't realize he had been holding. Her memories flew back eight years, to another cemetery where the same thing had been done.

"You okay?" Ziva asked. She must have noticed Abby's gesture to her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said, as many of the people from Stillwater obliged. Once they had all filed past, the next group was the one from NCIS. Abby took a rose and, when she passed the coffin, gently placed it on top. She stepped away a little bit more and, as she waited for Tim, Tony and the rest did the same, pulled her phone out of her bag. Once again, Tony offered her one arm with Ziva on the other.

He must have seen the phone and knew what was coming. Ziva looked across him, a curious expression on her face. Her eyes flitted up to Tony, who wore a smile halfway between sincere and goofy.

Once the rest of their group had completed their task with the roses and were heading back toward the car, Abby hit the button and the air was filled with good, old New Orleans jazz, one of the songs that had been played at her grandfather's funeral when she had been ten. It had been a tradition she was not going to let slip then, even with her deaf parents and she certainly wasn't going to not do it now. As the music filled the graveyard, a few locals gave her strange and/or nasty looks, but she didn't care. She saw the smiles that Tony, Tim and Ducky wore, the glimpse of understanding coming from Ziva and small smiles from the Palmers and the Malloys.

Before getting in the car, and with the music still playing, she looked back to Gibbs, still standing by the graveside. He would probably be there until the casket was finished being lowered. But for a moment, he looked up and their eyes locked. He gave her one nod and a smile, a sign he understood her tribute to Jackson. And she knew he appreciated it.


	91. Chapter 91

_I decided to have Joanne Fielding make a reappearance here, as she did ask about how Gibbs' father was doing when we met her on the show. And I thought it would be interesting to have Diane in the same room as her, even if the older woman didn't know who Diane was, because, of course, Diane would._

Tim had been surprised to hear there would be any sort of gathering after the funeral, but when he had learned it had been organized by some of the people in town, it made more sense to him. So, Gibbs' NCIS family mingled with the people who knew and loved Jackson and remembered Jethro and even Shannon.

The reason Gibbs' late wife must have came to mind was because he saw Gibbs' former mother-in-law chatting with some people. They hadn't seen Joanne Fielding since the murder of a Navy captain some year ago, a case where she had been a suspect at one point. "Tony," he called to where he and Ziva were chatting with a retired teacher from the local high school, "nine o'clock."

DiNozzo and David turned and noticed the older woman as well. "Well, didn't expect to see her here," Tony commented.

"She and Jackson had been family once," Ziva reminded them. "Perhaps she wanted to pay her respects."

Delilah noticed where the three sets of eyes were. "Who is she?" McGee's girlfriend asked.

"Joanne Fielding, mother of Shannon Fielding Gibbs, grandmother of Kelly Gibbs," Tony expounded.

"Jethro's former mother-in-law," another voice spoke up. Diane Sterling and Tobias Fornell joined them, and the former Mrs. Jethro Gibbs eyed Joanne wearily. "We never met, but I saw pictures from their wedding."

Joanne must have heard herself referred to, because she spotted the group and came their way. "Tim, Ziva, Tony, it's nice to see you all again, in spite of the circumstances," Joanne said pleasantly. She turned to Tobias and Diane. "Um, hello, I'm Joanne Fielding, Jethro's mother-in-law."

As the couple shook her hand, Tony continued with the introductions. "FBI Agent Tobias Fornell and Diane Sterling, from the IRS' investigative wing. Agent Fornell has worked with us a number of times and has developed a friendship with Gibbs."

"Well, it is nice to see you. Have you seen Jethro? I don't think this was his idea, but I thought he'd at least be here," Joanne said.

"Um, no, I haven't seen Jethro since the cemetery, actually," Diane said clumsily. "Tobias, we really should be getting on the road. I know Janie's mom said she'd get Emily from school, but I don't want to wait too long to get going."

"Yes, I see your point. DiNozzo, tell Gibbs we'll give him a call when he gets back," Fornell said quickly as they said goodbye and left.

Joanne had a confused look on her face, but before a question could go along with it, she spotted a familiar face, bid them goodbye and moved on. Tim let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "That could have been uncomfortable," he commented, watching the older woman disappear in the crowd.

"She and Gibbs had not seen each other since the funeral for Shannon and Kelly. But her boyfriend was killed a few years ago and we investigated the crime. I do not think that she knew he ever remarried," Ziva explained to Delilah.

"Three times," Tony added, turning back to everyone else.

Ducky and Ellie moved towards them, with Jake and the Palmers a little ways away, chatting. "Although it was not a happy reason to come here, it has been rather enlightening to be here," he said.

"Yes, but one must be careful how deeply they investigate," Ziva replied, eying Tony.

Tony saw the look he was getting and played along. "Come on, that was one of Gibbs' teachers. I could have gotten some prime info!"

"And that was why I did not allow you," Ziva replied, a gleam in her eye.

But then, just seconds later, she was wincing, which was noticed by everyone else. "Ziva, are you alright?" Tim asked her.

"I am fine. I think the baby is just doing cartwheels inside," she said.

But Tony looked around and grabbed a chair. "Come here and sit down. We've all been on our feet for a while, despite the long drive up."

While Tony tended to Ziva, Tim saw Ethan LaCombe approach them with his sister by his side. "Agent McGee?" he asked. When Tim nodded, he turned his attention to Tony and Ziva. "Then you must be Agents DiNozzo and David. I haven't gotten the chance to ever really thank you for helping with my case." He held out his hand and shook each of theirs.

"No thanks necessary, Sergeant. It was an honor," Tim replied. "And it was interesting, coming up here."

"Yeah, Chuck told me that he and Agent Gibbs knew each other in high school," Ethan said next.

"Really?" Tony's eyes grew wide with glee. "You know, I didn't get a chance to really talk to Chuck the last time we were in town-" Now it was Tony who was wincing.

"Tony, I think it is a good idea that we head home, yes?" Ziva asked sweetly, removing her hand from his side where she pinched and twisted him.

Tim spoke up. "Yes, I do think it's time we head home. I'll go see where Abby and everyone else is, see if they're going to head out."

It took a little time, but everyone agreed that the time had come to head home, although Abby resisted a bit. "Where is Gibbs? He shouldn't be alone at a time like this. We have to go find him before we leave."

"Well, if Mr. and Mrs. Palmer are alright with it, fine," Vance said. "But I do want to get back to the office for a little bit. Agent Bishop, Mr. Malloy, if you're ready to go."

"Yeah, I think we'll head out. See you in the office tomorrow," Ellie said as she, her husband and the director went to their cars.

Once they were gone, Delilah spoke up. "Okay, so where are we even going to find Gibbs?"

Tim scanned the street. Stillwater wasn't exactly bustling, so he could only think of one place. "Let's try the store." Sure enough, they found Gibbs inside, already packing up some of his father's personal affect.

Abby rushed into the building, coming up behind him. Tim wasn't all that surprised that their boss didn't make a sound. He was always aware of who was close to him. "Oh, Gibbs," she sighed into his shoulder.

He accepted the embrace and returned it. "You all heading out?" he asked.

"Well, the Director, Eleanor and her husband have already departed, but it has been a long few days for some of us, so, yes, Jethro, we are going home," Ducky explained. He stepped forward and gave his friend a firm handshake. "If you need anything, my door, like yours, is always open. However, it may be locked." The last sentence was said with a knowing smile.

"Agent Gibbs," Breena said next. "If there is anything you need, please, call."

"Yes, Agent Gibbs, anything you need, counseling, support…" Jimmy said, his latent nervousness taking hold of him, as it usually did when the assistant was around the other man.

Gibbs merely offered a nod to the couple and they moved off, waiting for Abby.

"Gibbs, I can stay if you want," she said brightly.

"No, I'm alright Abbs. You go home and I'll...I'll call you when I get back," Gibbs said.

"Promise?"

"Promise." Abby gave him one last hug and then, with Ducky, Jimmy and Breena, got in their car and left.

"Boss," Tony began, "I'm not going to repeat what everyone else just said." Tony held his hand out and when Gibbs took it, drew their leader into a hug. When he stepped away, Tony smiled. "I'm going to miss Jackson, but I am glad to have met him."

Next, Ziva stepped forward and gave Gibbs a kiss on the cheek. " _Aht lo leh-vahd,_ " she whispered.

" _Toda,_ " Gibbs whispered back.

Lastly, Delilah, said her goodbyes, as Gibbs bent down to give her a peck on the cheek. He stood up again, and shook Tim's hand. "See you soon, Boss," Tim told him at last. Then the final four filed out of the store. They got into the car and before Tim turned on the ignition, looked back one last time. Gibbs was standing by the window, a solitary figure, waving goodbye to them.


	92. Chapter 92

_The moment is about to arrive! This was how I pictured the baby's birth from the first moments I had this story laid out in my head. A little levity for a time of morning, a bit of comic relief, a little nostalgia thrown in. A few more chapters to get through, but the story is coming to an end soon._

Ziva hadn't said anything in earlier, but she had been uncomfortable since early in the morning. The baby had woken her at 0300 and she had been up ever since. She didn't want to say anything to Tony, because she knew what he would tell her to do. But she needed to be there today, to Gibbs, her surrogate father. She had come to love Jackson Gibbs and wanted to honor him, but if anyone knew how her level of discomfort, she would have not been allowed to go.

She was surprised that for the duration of the day, she had felt better. It had been a long time, standing at the cemetery and at the repast. She did finally have to sit down and stayed there until they had gotten up to leave.

Now, sitting in the car on the ride home, the discomfort had returned with a vengeance. The closer they got to DC, the more it grew, to the point that she could not concentrate on the conversation going on in the car. Then she felt Tony reach for her hand resting on the seat. "Ziva, you alright?"

"I...don't know," she said.

"Tim!" DiNozzo shouted. But the word wasn't even out of his mouth when she realized two things. One was that the car had veered off several exits short of its proper one. Instead of heading to northern Virginia, they were now going in the direction of Bethesda Naval Hospital. Second, the cushion she was sitting on was extremely wet.

"Your water broke!" Tony shouted, his eyes flickering down then up to her again.

"Yes," she grunted, the pain growing. "I think...it is time."

She wasn't sure how long it actually took them to reach the hospital, but they arrived very quickly. Tim brought the car to a sudden stop at the emergency room entrance. "Delilah, call Abby, let her and Ducky and Palmer now!" he cried, rushing to get out of the car.

Tony was two steps ahead of him, reaching the passenger side door before McGee. "Get a doctor!" her partner yelled out, causing Tim to change his course. Then he opened the door. "You okay?" he asked her.

"I have been in worse pain," she told him, wincing for a second. Then she opened her eyes and stared into his hazel ones. "This is really happening now."

He looked down at her stomach, touching her gently. "Yeah, I guess it is." Then he stood up and grabbed her hand. As best as he could, he used his other arm, still in a sling, to support her back, giving her a small nudge up. "Come on, let's get you inside."

Tim had returned with a nurse pushing a wheelchair. Once she was placed in it, Tony looked up at his friend. "Call my father, tell him what's going on."

"On it...dad," Tim nodded, a smile on his face. Then he got back into the driver's side to move the car out of the way, promising to return shortly.

The nurse made haste to get get Ziva into a cubicle, assuring her that her doctor would be contacted, and left the two of them alone.

Tony was more panicked than she had ever seen him before. "Is it too soon? It feels like it's too soon," he began, rambling on more on that topic.

Ziva had to call his name a few times, but at last, he was looking at her. She knew that soon, she would be in a massive amount of pain, so she was trying to stay calm now. "Tony, remember, we are within the two weeks of the due date. The doctor said this would be normal," she reassured him. "Please, you need to be calm."

He nodded before coming to the side of the chair and taking her hand. "Calm, yeah, I think I can do calm." A few deep breaths later, and he seemed to relax.

"Better?" she asked.

Another nod of the head and she could tell he was better. "I do need to stay calm, because I get the feeling the next few people who come charging in here won't be."

No sooner had he said that, then the curtain was shoved to the side by Abby Sciuto. "Oh, my God! OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod! I can't believe this is happening! I mean, yeah, I can but still….I can't! How are you? How far along are you dilated? Is the pain, like, monstrous?"

"Seriously, Abby, do you have wheels on those things?" Delilah asked, eying her boots when she got there, followed by Tim and Ducky. "I'm the one on a roll, and you beat me here by a mile!"

Between Abby's stream of conscious jabbering and Delilah's joking, Ziva felt herself become completely composed, even allowing herself a laugh. "I am fine, I swear, but Tony and I were just saying how you would be barreling in here with all your typical nervous energy." She reached out to her friend with her other hand.

Abby took it and smiled. "But you're alright?"

"Yes, except for the fact that the doctor hasn't even arrived yet," she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

Just then, her doctor did appear, and shooed everyone else but Tony out. She did an examination of Ziva, then told her she would be moved shortly to maternity floor. That completed, the woman moved the curtain aside, smiled at everyone else who had gathered, and left.

An hour later, Ziva was in her room, resting as comfortable as she could. Tony came in and joined her at her side. "I asked McGee to go to the house and pick up somethings. We didn't pack a go-bag for this, you know?"

"Well, how was I to know that she would decided on the drive home to make her debut? And actually, I did," Ziva smirked as a wave of pain crept up on her. "Did he call Senior?"

"Yeah, and he said Dad would be here as soon as he could. Ducky's corralling Abby for us and also said he'd contact Bishop and Vance," Tony said, a shake of his head. "Jimmy and Breena actually went home, told me to call as after she was born."

"I do not think Breena is quite ready to deal with the actual labor," Ziva said with a grimace. She grasped for his hand and squeezed it as the pain subsided.

"Wow, that didn't hurt as much as I thought it would," he awed, flexing his fingers after she released him.

"'As you thought'?" Had she heard him correctly?

He flashed her his trademark smile. "Yeah, I figured you break some of my bones while you were in labor."

She scowled now, remembering back to the times when he was his most annoying. "It is still early. Remember, the doctor said I have a wave to go."

"Oh, don't worry, I recall her comments very clearly and I fully expect you to be cursing me out is ten languages before this is over," he replied. "And honey, it's 'ways'."

While her body was at ease, she laid on the bed quietly, contemplatively. "I was just thinking...of how this could have been." Tony gave her a confused look before she went on. "When I found out I was pregnant, I was in such a state that I could not imagine you being here, us being together. For five months, I had every intention of doing this on my own." Then her voice cracked.

"Ziva…" Tony whispered, soothing her whimpering. "Even if I wasn't here for this, even if you were still confused about what to do, it wouldn't matter. I told you all those months ago when I was the one laying in the hospital bed. It didn't matter because I understood your reasons." She was about to say more, but Tony pushed his finger across her lips. "Hey, no more about this okay? Let's talk about something else like...the sperm bank!"

That brought forth a hearty laugh that actually dulled the latest contraction. "Ah, yes, when you were so worried something was wrong and it turned out there were no takers for a little DiNozzo!"

His lips quirked upwards to a smirk. "Well, in the end, I did find someone." Then he planted a soft kiss on her forehead. "And I discovered it in the best possible way. I love you, Ziva."

Her response, something that she could never imagine would be so easy to say, flowed from her like a gentle current. "And I love you."


	93. Chapter 93

_I have always had a lot of questions over the years about the dynamics in Eli's family, the relationships between his children and their mothers. I often go with the better scenarios, cooperation, caring. It has been mentioned numerous times that Ari was a part of Ziva's childhood and Eli's household, so I went with the mothers being at least cordial with each other. And I like to think that, at some time, Ari was the protective older brother._

"Anthony DiNozzo speaking," Senior said when his phone rang. It had been a slow day for him, especially with Junior and Ziva out for the day to attend the funeral of Jethro Gibbs' father in Pennsylvania, so he had gone out to lunch, did some shopping for the baby and generally lounged around, since he had no deals in the works. He was even thinking about retiring at long last. He liked the idea of that, of being a full-time grandfather, something grief had held him back from as a father.

The other end of the line was Tim McGee. He was a nice boy, reminding Senior of his younger brothers; bright, quick-witted and ready to parry with Junior at the drop of a hat. Even though he had know the lad for a number of years, he suspected that he had the potential of being a bit hyperactive if the circumstances were right, and today, for some reason, the seemed to be. "Uh, Senior, Tony wanted me to call you," he began.

A pit opened up in the older man's stomach. It had not been a good thing, the last few times McGee had called him. "What's...what's happened?" he asked, holding his breath waiting for an answer.

"Oh, no, sir, I can assure you, it's nothing bad this time," Tim assured him, probably aware of the thing that Senior had been concerned about. "I mean, I am calling you from the hospital, but it's because, Ziva went into labor."

That did concern him. "I didn't realize...isn't it a little early?" he asked, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

"From what Ziva has said a few times," McGee explained, "she is close enough to her due date that the doctors aren't alarmed. She's here at Bethesda."

Senior nodded and ended the call wordless, now rushing to get to the hospital. After he hailed a cab and got in, he tried to hard to tamp down on his worry. Even if there were problems, Ziva was in one of the finest hospitals in the area. No, he wasn't even going to let himself go there. They baby would be fine, Ziva would be fine and Junior...well, that remained to be seen.

Being an only child and having been in boarding schools from a young age, Senior couldn't imagine his son having much experience with children, especially babies. Ziva, at least, had a younger sibling, so she had an idea of what to expect, but not his son. That made the grandfather to be smile, thinking how much fun the next few years would be.

When the cab dropped him off, Anthony went into the hospital, but before he could get directions for where to go, he saw Dr. Mallard and Abby, waiting for him in the main lobby. "We figured it would be a good idea to wait for you here. This place is a labyrinth in general, and we might not see you for a few months if you try to make it over to maternity," Ducky said, shaking his hand.

"Well, thank you for help, and the information. How are things going?"

"Well, Ziva is the picture of serenity, believe it or not. Anthony, however…" Ducky said, shrugging his shoulders.

"He's making me look calm even with three Caf-Pows! in me," Abby said with a laugh. "At least, that was how he was acting when he got here."

"What happened? Did you make it to the funeral?" Senior asked as the three stepped onto an elevator.

"Oh, yes, and made it through a light lunch that the local diner prepared for afterwards. Mr. Palmer was following the car driven by McGee when he veered off the Interstate. Shortly thereafter, Delilah called us to tell us Ziva's water had broken and they were headed straight for the hospital." Ducky continued his detailed account of the day's events while they made their way to Ziva's room, peppered by a comment here and there from Abby. Ducky stopped short of the room Ziva and Tony were in, giving the father a look of encouragement to join the two.

He was surprised to see Tony with his head lolling to the side, breathing in and out, while Ziva lay awake in the bed. She noticed him and smiled as he was waved in. "Hello, my dear. I was told a stork would be stopping by soon," Senior said.

"Well, I do not know anything about a stork, but I do believe that the little one will be coming soon," Ziva said, a pinched expression on her face. A contraction must have been hitting her at that moment.

Senior smiled, remembering his son's stories about her lack of understanding of American colloquialisms and slang. Storks must not make it Israel, he figured. "How are you doing?"

"I am a little concerned," she admitted. She must have seen a look of panic on his face. "No, it is just my doctor says it is progressing rather slowly and I am at the point that I just want this over with."

Senior knew that, while she seemed to be having an enjoyable pregnancy, it was limiting her in what she was able to do, and he knew from Junior and his own observations that Ziva hated limits being put on her. She had a streak of impatience about her that matched his son's. "Well, she'll be here in no time. We DiNozzo do like to rush some things." Then he nodded his head toward his son. "Abby said he was...excitable. Did you have them give him something to knock him out?"

She laughed as she looked him over. "No, but the day wore him down, I think. Although it may be best to wake him, or else we will not be able to talk over his snoring," she mumbled as she finished the sentence.

Senior didn't want to say anything, but he knew she could be even louder at that then Tony. So, he moved on to other things. "Maybe you should think about walking around. I think they say that can help move delivery along."

She seemed amenable to the idea, so he went looking for a nurse who helped Ziva up and moving. "You know, it's kind of funny, but I was late to the hospital when Junior was born. So for me to be here well before the birth is kind of a new thing," he told her after several minutes of silence between the two of them. Then, with a sigh, he added, "It sadly became a pattern with me as the years went on."

"I remember my mother telling me my father did not see me for the first time until two days after I was born. He was on a mission and did not even receive word Ima was in labor until after the birth," Ziva said wistfully. "Hazmina actually delivered me."

"Hazmina? An aunt?" Senior still hadn't understood all of Ziva's family connections and this was the first he had heard that name.

"No, she was my brother Ari's mother, my father's ex-lover. It was always surprising to me that she and my mother were friends, but it was Hazmina who was visiting when my mother went into labor. Ari once told me that after his mother and mine, he was the first person to hold me." Ziva's smile was sad.

"I know some of what happened with your brother. I know what he did, what he became, if not all the specifics," Senior said, stopping her and turning her to face him. "But, knowing that little tidbit, I like to think he must have been a wonderful big brother."

Her eyes grew wet. "He was. In spite of all that happened, he was a wonderful brother. I wish I could have that one back."

"Think of him that way, and you will," Senior advised her. He knew that she had gone through a lot of pain with her family and prayed it would never happen again. "Feeling any better?"

"Yes, I am. I think we should return to the room," Ziva said to him. "I suspect Tony will be concerned if he awakens and does not find me in the bed."

Senior smiled at that. "Knowing my son, I believe you are correct."


	94. Chapter 94

_Threw in a lot of little things here, from panicked Tony to dealing with Senior to the team as family. And he and Ziva are ready to add to that._

 _I do not think I will be able to update this story until Tuesday, as I am going to be away for the weekend and have a hard time cutting and pasting on AO3 from my tablet. I also post this story there and do not want to deprive them of an update a day. If I can find a way to, I will, though, I promise._

Tony did not realize he had fallen asleep until his eyes opened to an empty bed. A surge of panic shot through him as his head swiveled from side to side. He jumped out of his chair and ran to the door of the room. "Hey!" he flagged down a nurse. "Where did she go?" he asked hurriedly.

"Sir?" The woman was giving him a perplexed look.

"My fiancee! She's not in her bed! Have you seen her?" Tony's attempts to calm himself down were not working.

"She's fine, Junior, she's right here," his father called, Ziva's arm nestled into the crook of his. "Walking can help a delivery along, so since you were taking a nap when I got here, we went for one." Beside him was Ziva, looking a little pained in her movement.

Tony sighed in relief, before his brain began functioning again, telling him that if there had been something wrong, he'd have been awaken then. "Oh, hey Dad, I see McGee called you. You could have alerted me when you got here."

"Well, we wanted to talk, so since you were asleep, we decided to let you rest, because when she is born, I do not foresee either of us getting any rest," Ziva included, as Tony helped her back on the bed. When she was laying down again, Ziva turned to Senior. "That brings up a question for me. What was he like as a baby? It may be a good idea to know what I am in the store for."

Senior squinted and opened his mouth to correct her, but Tony just shook his head. Then the older man paused and flashed him a smile that had never made him comfortable. "Well, my dear, I will say this Junior." His father paused for dramatic effect. "He was the perfect baby...for his mother."

"Oh, really?" Ziva's eyebrow shot up, seemingly appraising him. "And with you, not so-" Her voice stopped there, and her face twisted.

"Ziva?" The ridiculous panic he had felt a few minutes ago returned, this time tinged with real worry."

She caught her breath. "No, I...am...fine. That was strong," she said.

Tony reached for her hand and squeezed it. "Maybe the walk helped?" he asked, his face lifted to see his father.

But it was not his father who answered. "There are some babies who are rather stubborn and so it has been shown that movement helps facilitate delivery," Ducky's voice reassured him as he and Abby entered the room.

"We wanted to come and see how things were going here," Abby chimed in, calm and almost timid looking.

"Um, well, no real news here," Tony told them.

"Except for the sheer terror on his face when we got back from the walk," Senior said, pointing to him.

Tony winced in embarrassment. He was not usually prone to such a reaction. Abby, yes, but not him. "Um, Dad, why don't you go see if you can find a doctor and see if we can get a SitRep here, please." Tony was practically pleading for his father to be elsewhere now.

He was grateful that Senior picked up on that and his father was off looking for someone to come do the checkup.

Another sigh of relief came. "Thank god," he muttered. When he saw the dark looks he was getting from Abby, Ducky and Ziva, he blushed in shame. "Sorry, I love him, but there's still only so much I can handle at one time." Then he tried to look tough, adding, "Besides, I get the feeling he was going to be giving up secrets rather willingly soon. Sorry, but there's still some things I want to keep classified."

Abby grinned. "You are really going to tell that to a hacker, DiNozzo? Not a good idea, but at least McGee's not here."

"Where is McUncle and Mc-Practically Aunt anyway? How long can it take to get some things brought over?" Tony grumbled.

"I know I had a baby go-bag ready, just in case," Ziva said before nearly strangling his hand.

"Ow! Last time I felt a grip like that, she made a habit of gripping Power Puddy," he complained before seeing Ziva's look. "Um, someone we interviewed to replace you, way back when. McGee thought she was unflappable, I think was the expression he used."

"You mean Claire Connell?" Tim McGee asked as he joined them with Delilah. "DEA agent that Gibbs made cry?"

"Gibbs made her cry?" Ziva asked as Abby exclaimed, "You never told me that!"

Tony could see McGee was about to answer her when he decided to interrupt. "Probie, what took you so long?"

It was Delilah who spoke up. "Well, we found Ziva's bag quickly, but yours…" Her eyes shifted to her boyfriend.

Tim looked perturbed. "How many years have you worked with Gibbs? And you were this unprepared?" Tim dropped the bag on the foot of the bed. "Took us a while to realize there was none ready and then an even longer amount to throw stuff in here."

Tony pointed to the sling his arm was still in. "Excuse me, but can someone remember me, in a hospital again, not too long ago? Sorry if my injury may have made me a little forgetful," he tried to defend himself with.

"It was your arm that was shot at, not your head," Ziva retorted. She released his hand and used it to push herself further up in the bed. "But I thank you, McGee, Delilah. And I am sure Tony will express his gratitude as well." Her last sentence was through gritted teeth. He wasn't sure it was from another contraction or annoyance. He wanted to believe it was the former.

But to cover his bases, he smiled. "Yeah, thanks, McErrand Boy."

Tim opened his mouth, probably to shoot a nasty comment back to him when Senior reappeared with the doctor. "I told her you were getting impatient, by dear, so she agreed it was a good time to check on you."

A comical scene ensued as the rest of the team began searching for other places to be. Then, before Tim left, Tony had a request. "Can you give Gibbs a call? Just, let him know what's happening."

Tim nodded. "Will do, Boss." There was not a hint of teasing in him when he said that.

When he was gone, the doctor proceeded with the check. "Well, Ms. David, I think that stroll did you some good. You're a few more centimeters dilated. Have you felt the contractions coming any more frequently?"

It was Tony who got out the answer before Ziva. "Well, she's nearly crushed my hand a few times in the last few minutes, so I'm taking that as a yes."

Ziva and the doctor shared a smirk, before Ziva gave her assessment. "They have been a little closer together, yes," she said.

"Well, I'm going to leave you alone for now and check on you on a half hour, if I don't hear from you first. Do you want me to send in your family?"

Tony smiled at that comment. Even though there was only one person there connected by blood to either him or Ziva, the doctor was absolutely correct in her question. That was there family out there, or at least most of them. And, as it often was with family, you could only take them a little at a time, it seemed. "Ah, no, I think we just need time to ourselves."

He saw Ziva nod in agreement. "I think we would like to be alone for a while." The doctor nodded and it was just the two of them again. "It won't be like this ever again," she told him.

"What, just the two of us?" When she nodded, he became pensive. "Well, if you want to be honest, it never really was. I mean, there was always Gibbs and McGee, Abby and Ducky. They were always around. Guess I could say they were my family for a while, then well…"

"They became mine." It was such a simple statement, yet held so much complexity.

"And we're just adding to it." The smile that Tony felt on his face was one that would probably have been classified as subdued. The last time he had felt it was when she had returned to the office for a meeting with Vance after Somalia. She was just standing there, offering a suggestion, like it was old times, and he was grateful for it. He turned his mid away from that moment, and decided to look to the future. "Are you ready to add to it?"

Her smile was all he needed, and, truthfully all he ever had.


	95. Chapter 95

_At some point, I realized that, at this time in the show, Delilah was off in Dubai. So, to keep the side cannon as unaltered as possible, I decided to throw that in here and to have a similar situation as it was on TV. And, in keeping with cannon, she will be back in time for Tony and Ziva's wedding, when I get around to write it. I am still planning on a sequel, but it might not start up for a while._

On their way back to the hospital, Tim and Delilah did make a stop at their apartment because McGee had something he wanted to bring along with the bags for Tony and Ziva. He left Delilah in the car, telling her he'd only be a minute before running in, grabbing the package and returning to the car.

Delilah stared at the gift, neatly wrapped in pink paper. She noted the card said it was from just Tim alone. "So, what, I'm not a part of this present?" she asked, adding a bit of incredulity to her voice.

"Oh, sorry. It's just, it's a little inside joke to Tony and Ziva," he said. When he continued with the expectant gaze, he explained further. He had told her about the case that had brought Ziva to the United States initially, the rogue Mossad officer who had cut a swath through NCIS in an attempt to destroy his director, his father, as well as Ziva's and after that, how Ziva had requested to be reassigned to DC. "Well, the first day she reported in, she was the first to get into the office."

"You don't say?" Delilah replied, sprinkling in a bit of sarcasm into her voice. Tim knew that Ziva and Delilah had become good friends since the former's return to the States and she had often commented on the other's work ethic.

Tim sent her a knowing look. "Well, it was a Monday and by some miracle, the next person in was Tony," McGee continued. "Looking a lot worse for the wear. I mean, electric razor, changing his shirt in the middle of the office, the whole nine yards. One of few times I've seen DiNozzo looking like he'd woken up in a dumpster. And his hair was sticking out in every different direction. Well, when I got in, Ziva was trying to compare it to some animal, but she kept coming up with the wrong words. 'Porcupig', 'porcuswine', she couldn't think of the word. I was the one who corrected her. What she meant to say was porcupine." Ending the tale, he nodded his head to the gift.

"A stuffed porcupine?" Her eyes crinkled with her smile. "That's cute, but you think they'll even remember that?"

McGee smiled. "When things calm down, ask each of them what her first words were to him," he suggested as he parked the car.

They brought the bags to Ziva's room and then were all ushered out for the doctor to take a look at the progress of the delivery. On the way out, Tony asked Tim to call Gibbs and let him know the baby was on the way, a task he gladly did.

Stepping away from the rest of the group, McGee pulled out his phone and hit Gibbs' number in his contacts. He was surprised that the call was answered immediately. "Hey, Boss, Tony wanted me to call and tell you that, on the way back, Ziva went into labor."

"Which hospital?" Gibbs asked.

Tim found that strange, but answered anyway. "We're at Bethesda," he informed him.

"Be there in ten," Gibbs replied.

"What? Wait, aren't you still in Stillwater?" It had been a few hours since they had gotten to the hospital, but it was the day he buried his father. Tim figured he still be up there, settling his father's affairs.

"Once you guys left the store, I headed home. There were some chores I left here that I wanted to get done. I'll get back up there in a few days," Gibbs told him.

Tim was not surprised. Their boss had little time for sentiment, even, hell, especially when it was expected. "Okay, I'll see you soon, then, I guess." No matter how long he had worked with Gibbs, there were still times he was caught off guard and reverted to the scared probie who had gotten a promotion to DC and into the heart of the lion's den.

He was always thankful that he had been given the opportunity. Gibbs and DiNozzo, Ziva and Abby, Ducky, hell, even Directors Sheppard and Vance had become almost family to him. They all had become family to each other, over the past decade. And in some cases, literally.

The thought of family made him turn and look at Delilah. They hadn't even been dating a year and he had already fallen in love with her. She was smart and quirky, but he was still amazed at her strength. Life had been terribly altered for her and yet, despite what had occurred, she had persevered with grace and humor, never getting down on herself.

She must have sensed his gaze on her, because she turned and smiled. He returned the smile and rejoined Ducky, Abby and Mr. DiNozzo. "Gibbs'll be here soon. He's back at the house."

"Already?" Abby asked, as baffled as he had been when he'd been told.

"I'm not surprised. Gibbs is not one to brood over death, even his father's. But that comes due more to their long-time estrangement, I would think," Ducky expounded on.

He was about to open his mouth and say more, but McGee took the moment to interrupt him. "Ah, Delilah, can I talk to you in private for a minute?"

She tried to get him to say more with her look, but he merely nodded his head over to a quieter part of the waiting room. They both excused themselves and moved off.

Tim wanted to talk to her about something, something important that he had been musing on for the past couple of weeks. But, with the stakes mounting on the Wren case, plus Tony and Ziva with the baby on the way, he hadn't found the time to have any real in-depth conversations with his own girlfriend. So, he decided to take the break from the craziness to ask her a question. "How long have we been dating?" he began. Now, Tim was not the typical guy who would forget something like that. It was more of a rhetorical question he was posing.

"Just about a year," Delilah answer, her face showing she didn't seem to have any idea where this conversation was going. Or, she knew where he was headed and a bit fearful of it.

Tim nodded. "Yes, it's been a year. And in that time, Delilah, I…" He hesitated, but then, grew determined. "I've fallen in love with you. And, I want to ask you…"

She held up her hand. "Tim, I love you too, but…"

"But what?"

She took a deep breath, then said, "Look, I think I know where this is going, but before you say anything more, there's something I have to tell you." Her eyes darted down, then back into his. "I was offered a great opportunity. I haven't gotten a chance to tell you with everything that's going on, and I'm sorry. It's...it's in Dubai."

A hundred question flowed through his brain, and he was unable to think clearly to ask even one. But then, he did. "Dubai?"

"Yes," she said. "It's just nine months, but it's a once in a lifetime thing." At that, Tim smiled, and Delilah narrowed her eyes. "Okay, not the reaction I would be expecting."

"No, no, it's not...it's just...I wasn't going to ask you to marry...well, it's just." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keychain. Holding one up, he hoped he could explain it better. "I wanted you to...move in with me." Now, she looked relieved. He lowered his arm. "You're right, it is an amazing opportunity...and you should take it."

Now she gave him a sideways look. "But, what about us?"

That made him think. "I know that long distance relationships are hard," he said as he remembered something to him, "but look at Tony and Ziva. Tony was about to get on a plane to be with her, to at least try to make a go of a relationship despite the distance. And if he, and all of us, hadn't been attacked a year ago...he came to realize he was truly in love with her and wanted to be with her. And for Tony, that's a massive step. So, if he was willing to try, well, then, for me, it should be a piece of cake."

He hoped his reasoning made sense to her. "And in nine months…"

He held the key up again. "In nine months, Delilah Fielding, will you move in with me?"


	96. Chapter 96

_Remember back when Senior found out about the gender and Tony had to threaten his father into not spilling the secret to anyone. Well, quick side-story. Once the two of them on their way to Israel, he headed straight over to Gibbs' to spill the beans. Gibbs is the only safe one to tell a secret to, and Grandpa DiNozzo wasn't going to be able to hold the information in long._

 _I wanted to reference Tony and Gibbs, from the beginning, so I brought up their first meeting here. Gibbs has seen Tony through a lot and this deserved his moment of reflection._

Gibbs knew from the moment that he had been told about the gathering after the funeral that he wouldn't be going.

Stillwater had always been too small for him, too many people in everyone else's business. That came back to him when he had returned some years ago because of the LaCombe case. He had just parked the car and already, a face from his past turned up again. In the last year or so, he did come to appreciate Gantry keeping an eye on his father for him, but that would never make them buddies. Nor would Chuck offering his sympathy. He had nodded and offered his thanks, but as soon as his team had left town, so did he.

In no time flat, he was back in his basement, finishing up the crib for Tony and Ziva's daughter. He preferred to concentrate on the living, since he dealt with death on an everyday basis as it was. His father's passing hadn't changed his mind about that.

He stepped back, making sure everything was perfect. He had been working on it for a couple of months, since DiNozzo Senior had come to tell him he was purchasing the furniture for the baby's room. Senior had said he'd heard that Gibbs was into woodwork, and if he could help the soon-to-be grandfather. "After all, you're almost more of her grandfather than I am," he had said. "For both of them."

He'd been pleased to do it, carving small flowers as decor. It was supposed to be a surprise, but when they had visited him one night, Gibbs had led Tony and Ziva downstairs to show him his progress.

Now, as he evaluated his work, he heard his phone ring. Tim was on the line, telling him that the baby was finally on the way, and they were all at the hospital. He'd been surprised to hear that Gibbs was back in town already himself and that he'd be joining them immediately.

When he found the rest of his friends, Ducky and Abby at least, he asked the doctor, "Anything new?"

"Not since Timothy got off the phone with you. I think Anthony Senior went to get a cup of coffee and McGee and his girlfriend stepped aside to discuss something, but Tony and Ziva have asked for some privacy," Ducky informed him.

Gibbs gave his oldest friend a smile and walked towards the maternity ward. The medical examiner knew better than to remind him of the request, so he entered the wing without another word. He found Ziva's room, with Tony sitting beside her, his uninjured hand gripping hers.

"Gibbs!" Ziva looked at him as if he was the last person she would be expecting here.

"Hey, how you doing?" he asked her, stepping over to the bed and giving her a peck on the cheek.

"It's about time, Boss, or so the doctor says," Tony offered by way of a SitRep.

"Ya think, DiNozzo?" Gibbs couldn't resist the question he so often hurled at his second when he stated the obvious.

"Well, boss, it's just-" His voice cut out and his face pinched in pain. Gibbs looked down and saw that a contraction had hit Ziva and her partner was experiencing it through a strangled hand.

"Big one, huh?" Gibbs smirked at the young woman, so often the one doling out the pain to any number of suspects.

When she had finally calmed down, the only response at first was a nod. "Biggest one yet," she said finally.

He could tell Ziva was downplaying it, still trying to play the tough, fierce Mossad officer he had met almost a decade ago. Unabidingly, the memory of Ari's head pitching backwards from the impact of the bullet came to mind, and the coolness at which Ziva had descended the stairs after firing the shot. Then, as now, she tried to put on an act, but like back then, this too was failing.

He had the idea to call her out on it, but chose not to. That was an ingrained personality trait and he was not one to try and force her to be someone she was not, so he turned his attention to DiNozzo. "You ready for this?" he asked him, even if he knew the answer.

The Anthony DiNozzo he had met in Baltimore nearly fifteen years ago, well, he could not see that man as a father, even if he had been engaged at the time. Hell, the Tony DiNozzo from a year ago wouldn't have been up for the task. But this man, standing before him, he was ready.

"Well, you know, boss, I'm still not so sure...I mean, me, a father? Come on…" Classic DiNozzo, using humor for an act, which Gibbs saw right through. And Tony knew it, as he capitulated. Eyes downcast for a minute, he said at last, "Never thought I would but now…"

"Well, that's good to hear," the doctor chimed in when she entered the room. "I just want to do a quick check on Ms. David."

"Sure, we'll...wait outside," Tony said. He flashed Ziva a smile and headed out, Gibbs trailing him. When they were a few steps away from the room, Tony looked back at the room. His voice grew soft, almost a whisper. "I still can't believe. I keep thinking it's a dream and I'll wake up and she...she won't be there. I mean, who would have thought all those years ago…"

"I would," Gibbs confided. Tony threw a quick look at him and he shrugged his shoulders. "Not right away, but I saw it coming. Didn't see a lot of it, but this, the two of you? Yeah. And the baby, eventually."

Tony gave off a pensive look. "Yeah, I guess you're right. The universe...it seemed to conspire, to make sure we were together." His gaze returned to the door to the room. "I love her, boss, more than I thought was possible."

Before Gibbs could say another word, the door opened and the doctor approached them. "Mr. DiNozzo, it's showtime."

Tony stood up ramrod straight, but gave off his usual nervous energy. "It's...it's time? I mean, like now? She's ready?" When the doctor nodded, his head swiveled between the room and Gibbs.

"Go, DiNozzo!" he ordered and Tony took off like a shot, the doctor following him. Gibbs chuckled and made his way back to the waiting area. In his absence, Tim and Delilah had reappeared, and along with Ducky and Abby, they all gave him expectant looks.

"Is there news?" Abby asked in the calmest tone he had ever heard from her.

"The doctor said she's about ready to deliver, so DiNozzo's with her now," Gibbs replied. "All we can do now is wait."

"Not your strongest suit, Gibbs," Abby reminded him.

That perked up Ducky. "You know, Jethro, she has a point. In fact, out of all of us, you really are the most impatient. You show up expecting us to have answers when we have just begun our work."

"You have no time for technology and don't understand that it, too, can run slower than expected," Tim added.

"And you smack people, and by that I mean Tony, Tim and Ziva, and maybe Ellie, when they stall in telling you something," came Abby's cheeky addition.

Gibbs had been looking back at the entrance to the ward, but turned back to glare at each of them and Delilah, who decided to remain silent, but gave away the fact that she was agreeing with them. He couldn't think of an argument to refute them, so he stayed silent.

After all, they were right.


	97. Chapter 97

_And now, the birth. I had a lot of ground I wanted to cover here, some comedy, some reminiscing, some teasing. I hope I hit all my marks in this momentous chapter, bringing the best parts of the pairing together. I allude to some darkness, but those are banished quickly. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as we near the end._

When the doctor told Tony they were in the final stages of labor, he was sure he was coming off like television's idea of the father-to-be. The picture of Ricky Ricardo running around the apartment in 'I Love Lucy' and eventually leaving without Lucy herself came to his mind immediately. He grimaced at analogy, but was grateful in the end he had no Fred Mertz to play off of.

He went back into the room and was by Ziva's side. "Hey sweetcheeks," he said, smiling under the mask he wore. "How are you doing?"

When she looked at him, he remembered another reason he loved her: she looked ready to murder him. "You are never touching me again!" she shouted at him as another contraction hit her.

Part of him believed her, but he shook it off. "We'll talk about that later," he replied. He moved over to the side of the bed that he could let him reach for her hand with his injured side better. "But if it makes you feel better, you can break as many bones as you want to to on this hand."

It was almost predictable that she would make a grab for the other one, but luckily he pulled it away fast enough. By then, the wave of pain seemed to pass her, and she rested her head back on the pillow, taking a number of deep breaths.

In the midst of that, he could tell she was concentrating on something, and his gut told him it wasn't what was happening now. "What's running through that pretty little head of yours?"

"I have been nearly blown up, been tortured, shot at, yet this is the most difficult thing I have ever gone through," she said at last, turning to look at him. "What are you thinking of?"

He laughed. "I don't think you want to know." Then he saw the cross look she was glaring at him. "It's nothing dirty, I swear!" His hand shot up instantly, in his defense. "If you must know, I was thinking about 'I Love Lucy'."

"You are thinking about another woman?" That one came as she was hit with another contraction, which amplified her volume.

He shook his head. As cute as he found her lack of understanding about American culture, there were some things even she should know about after all these years here. "No, the show. Specifically, when the character of Lucy is about to give birth and her husband and a neighbor are losing their minds in a panic. Long story short, they wound up leaving her behind in the apartment. It's just, when the doctor came to get me, I had a similar sensation for a moment there."

"I don't...see the humor...in that," she panted out before lying down again.

"I'll add that to the 'to view' list," he said. Then he looked around the room, his eyes falling on the bag Ziva had packed for this occasion. "So what do you have in there anyway?"

She didn't answer him, her face pinched in pain, but when it calmed down, she told him. "There is a...change of clothes… a robe and slippers...some things for the baby., the...bonnet Linda gave us...and Kelly's blanket."

The name made him pause. "Technically, it's our daughter's now," he corrected her.

"She is not...yet born. Until then, I still...consider it to be hers."

Fair point, Tony considered. He still could not believe the boss had parted with such a thing, even if it was collecting dust in his attic. "That reminds me, we're going to need to have the furniture delivered back to the house soon."

After the shower, Ziva had asked the things for the baby be removed from the house. He hadn't understood why, but she explain her superstition. She hadn't mentioned it before because Abby had been so gung-ho about throwing the shower, but now, it was making her uncomfortable. He saw her point, but they had agreed to leave a couple of items behind, specifically the blanket and the picture frame from Jackson Gibbs.

"Let us...wait until I have delivered!" she yelled at him, though he didn't think it was what hed had said that made got her pissed at him.

She didn't take it any further as the doctor returned and took a look. "Okay, Ziva, it looks like you're ready to push."

"I...I don't know...can," she cried, as tears fell down her face.

"Come on, Ziva, you can do this. Fact is, there's not a whole I seen you not be able to do," Tony encouraged. Flashes of memories came to him, _deactivating a bomb hidden on a support beam, throwing a knife and hitting the target dead on, taking down a group of soldiers even with guns aimed at them._

"All...easy...compared to this," she gritted out. She tried to readjust her position, tried sitting up in the bed. Tony got behind and supported her when another contraction hit. He felt this one in his own body, but as able to brace himself.

The doctor's head poked up. "With the next contraction, I want you to give a good push," she directed Ziva.

Ziva's head shook hard, as if denying she could do it. Tony's mind scrambled about what he could do or say. Then a memory came to mind. "Remember the first thing you ever said to me? You asked me where Gibbs was."

She let out a scream, but she seemed to have followed the doctor's order. When it was over, she shook her head as she looked at him. "No the first thing I said to you was 'are you having phone sex?'"

Tony smirked at her as the doctor told them the baby was crowning. "One more push and that should do it. Come one, Ziva, you can do this," the woman said.

Their eyes locked and Tony gave her encouragement through his gaze. Ziva understood, as another contraction was oncoming. It hit and with one thrust, the next sound that could be heard was the squalling of a baby. "She's here!" the doctor declared.

Ziva fell against Tony, but he didn't seem to notice. All his attention was on the tiny bundle that was being moved to a small table to be cleaned. A few minutes later, the bundle was moved to Ziva's stomach and mother and father got their first look at the baby.

"Oh...oh my God," Tony whispered as his fingers inched towards the baby. He was afraid to touch her, afraid she would go to pieces if he did.

Ziva began whispering to the baby in Hebrew as she held her securely in her arms. "Tony, look," Ziva said at last.

At last, he ran his index finger on the blanket covering her, back and forth. When the doctor placed her on Ziva, her eyes were closed, but at his touch they opened. Blue, of course, but it was like looking in a mirror for him. He thought he saw lighter-colored flecks, but he couldn't be sure.

Ziva's eyes turned to him and then back to the baby. "You have already accomplished a great deal in your first few minutes, my dear. You have left your father speechless," Ziva told the baby with a touch of humor in her voice.

His eyes slid to Ziva as he removed the mask from his mouth. "It does happen on other occasions, sweetcheeks, and I'd think this would be one of those time it was warranted." Then he looked only at his daughter, as she regarded him sleepily. "Hello, my darling. Welcome to our family." It seemed that Tali's eyes moved from side to side, as if taking in both of her parents. Tony took advantage of that. "This is your _Ima_ , mom, if it's easier to remember. And I'm your daddy," he told her. Tony and Ziva had had a few discussions of how they wanted their daughter refer to them. Ziva had pushed for the Hebrew names for both of them, but Tony disagreed. He had never gotten the sound out of his head that night at Vance's.

He shooed that memory away, focusing on more important matters. "Now, in a little while, we'll introduce you to the rest, but I get the feeling you're probably all tuckered out." As if to confirm his belief, Tali closed her eyes again.

After that, Tony planted a light kiss on Ziva's forehead, and then a more lingering one on her mouth. "I can't...can't thank you enough. I know...this could have gone a hundred different ways…"

"Shh, my love. Don't think about the past, of what could have been." Ziva's head shifted as she looked at their daughter. "Think to the future."

"Always," he said.


	98. Chapter 98

_The most fun I had here was the 'introductions.' I was trying to think of distinctive ways for Tony and Ziva to describe Senior, Abby, Tim and Delilah, Ellie and Jake, Ducky and Gibbs. My personal favorite ended up being Ducky. But I thought it appropriate that Gibbs was the last to be introduced, the only one save for Senior to hold her and the one to ask the name. He would have been given that special honor by Tony and Ziva._

As the birth drew closer, Ziva went through a plethora of emotions, which only intensified when Tony returned to her side. First, there was anger ( _he is thinking of another woman at a time like this!_ ), fear ( _never before had she experienced pain like this, not even at the hands of terrorists!_ ) and then, at last, exhilaration ( _linking her finger with Tali's and the sensation of the tiny grasp_ ).

At long last, she was here, and a part of Ziva could still not believe it. In her first few moments she had such a power over her parents, especially Tony, who had not said a word since they put her into Ziva's arms. Naturally, Ziva had to tease him about that. There was a brief, and decidedly one-sided, conversation, where Tony "introduced" the two of them to Tali, but after that, the little one had drifted off to sleep. A nurse came and placed their daughter into a bassinet, which was wheeled next to Ziva, to keep her close.

"Perhaps it is now time to tell everyone?" Ziva asked, her face beaming in spite of the tears that wet her cheeks.

"You think she's ready for the whole crew?" Tony asked, half-joking. "Why don't we start her off slow, alright? I'll go get my dad and we'll take it from there."

Ziva agreed with his plan. As much as she loved everyone, she didn't want all of their friends to come in as one. She could only imagine Abby's first reactions. Then she turned to her daughter, lying still, her tiny hands clenched into tiny fists. After a nurse came to clean Ziva, Tony went to fetch his father.

"Well, little one, the next person you shall meet is your grandfather. He is very dear to me and your father, though your daddy may deny it. I warn you, he is a charmer, so be on the alert," Ziva instructed the newborn, even if she did not seem to pay attention.

When next Tony appeared, Senior was trailing him. A jovial smile played on his lips as he approached Ziva in the bed. "My dear, you look amazing. Nothing like you had just given birth," the elder Tony said, kissing her on both cheeks.

A smirk appeared. "See what I am talking about?"

Tony's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"How charming Tali's _nonno_ can be," Ziva explained. "Merely warning her for future reference."

Tony's features relaxed as he understood. But that didn't stop Senior. "I will have you know, there are few women who are immune to my charms," he declared as he looked down into the bassinet, "and this one will be no exception."

Tali opened her eyes once more and regarded Senior. The older man's finger ran along her jawline, tracing her features. "She has your mouth, Ziva," he informed her, "and your eyes, son."

"I'm going to give you a once in a lifetime offer, Dad," Tony said. "That one day, you can tell Tali you held her even before me." Tony flailed his injured wing at his father, a look of annoyance on his face, but she knew he was proud.

Senior looked to Ziva, who nodded her encouragement. "By all means."

Senior reached down and scooped up the baby, her head resting safely in the crook of her grandfather's elbow. "Hello my sweetheart. I am so pleased you decided to join us." That was followed by a few minutes of nonsensical sounds coming from the older man.

While Tali was being entertained by her grandfather, Tony moved over to the bag that McGee had brought a short time ago. He opened the zipper and removed a small box. He placed the box on the nightstand next to Ziva, opened the cover and removed the pink blanket that had been Gibbs' gift to the three of them.

Senior raised his head, noticing his son's movements, and when Tony handed the blanket to Ziva, she unfolded it. Understanding what was going on, he turned back to his granddaughter. "I would love to stay here and chat, but there is a number of people you have to meet," he said, as he handed Tali off to Ziva.

Gently, Ziva wrapped her daughter up in the blanket. There was a small cry, but once she was in Ziva's arms, she was wide awake, seemingly taking in the world she had just been born into.

Tony stayed behind, a silent request for his father to retrieve the rest of them. He sat in a chair next to the bed. "Alright, kiddo, stay alert because there will be a test after this. This is the rest of your family. They all have their eccentricities, but the most important thing to remember is, they all love you. And trust me, you'll come to love them."

As he finished speaking, it was naturally Abby who led the team. But Ziva noticed immediately how much calmer the woman was, not what Ziva had expected to see. "Is it alright if we come in?" she asked permission of them.

"Come, come and see your beautiful niece," Ziva replied, nodding her head to all of them.

"She is adorable!" Abby squealed, taking in the sight of the baby. Tali was eying the Goth, a look of skepticism on her face.

"This is Aunt Abby, the heart of all of us," Ziva told her daughter. "Don't judge a book by it's cover, she's a brilliant woman who will stick by you through thick and thin."

Abby blushed at the description at a loss for words. Tali's power seemed to extend beyond her parents.

McGee and Delilah stepped forward, Delilah cooing over the baby. Now, Tony spoke up, pointing to the couple. "This is your McUncle, Timothy F. McGee and his ladylove, the lovely Delilah Fielding. Now, I know that some day, in the future, he'll want to have you gang up on your old man, but I know you. You're too smart for that." Tony's eyes rolled up as far as possible to see Tim as he added, "There are also a number of alternate nicknames, but the most important one is 'Probie'. Say it with me, 'Prooo-biiiie.'"

"Ignore your dad, but I don't actually mind the McUncle," McGee said, giving Ziva a look that begged her to intervene in the teasing. Ziva merely shrugged her shoulders, allowing Tony the pleasure of teasing for one day.

From the back, Ziva saw a head of blonde hair. "This is your Auntie Ellie and Uncle Jake. I will admit, _Ima_ is still getting to know them herself, so we she learn about them more together, yes?"

Ellie shot her a smile, but remained silent, as Tony moved on to the next person. Adopting a ridiculous inflection in his voice, he sounded like he was a game-show host, which was only confirmed by his introduction of Ducky. "And let's give a 'quack-quack' to Dr. Donald Mallard, aka, GrandDucky."

A hearty laugh came from the good doctor, who was one of the few who generally enjoyed Tony's playfulness. "I thank you, kind sir, for the pleasure of making the acquaintance of this lovely, little lass," Ducky responded, thickening his brogue for a little more panache.

"And last, but certainly not least, I want you to meet your other grandfather," Ziva said as a tear escaped her eye. "The walking definition of _Semper Fidelis_." She paused, unable to continue for a moment. Then she looked up at Gibbs and saw he, too, was allowing his emotions to surface. "Do you want to hold her, Grandpa?" Wordlessly, Gibbs stretched his arms out, and Ziva laid her daughter in the space. He stared at her for a long moment, while Tony and Ziva shared a look. As much as he was glaring at her, she was giving it right back, as if in a silent challenge.

It was Gibbs who broke the connection. "Her name?" was all he asked.

"Tali," Tony said, before smiling towards his father. Ziva glanced in that direction, where Anthony DiNozzo, Senior silently nodded. "Her name is Tali Elizabeth DiNozzo."

Everyone shared a look, understanding the meaning of the names. No one said a word, until it was Gibbs who broke the silence. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tali Elizabeth." Then he looked to Tony and Ziva. "And it will be a pleasure, watching you grow up and keep these two on their toes. It's exhausting me after a lot of years, I will tell you.' With that, he planted a soft kiss on her forehead and Ziva saw the little one's eyes close, a sign she had fallen asleep again, in the protection of her Grandpa Gibbs' arms.


	99. Chapter 99

_Here we are at the end. There's a little nod to the sequel, but I caution you, don't look for it immediately...if you want it at all. I will starting some new stories, one dealing with the end of "Truth or Consequences", an AU with both of Tali's grandfathers (a missed opportunity) and my own Ziva lives idea. Again, if anyone's interested. So, drop a line, a comment, a PM. I always love to hear from you!_

It was a week later, and Tony still couldn't take his eyes off Tali. She was sound asleep, in a crib surrounded by stuffed animals, under her pink blanket from Grandpa Gibbs, probably not aware her daddy was watching over her. But he kept his eye on her nonetheless.

"Tony!" Ziva hissed as quietly as possible. He raised his head from where it was laying on his arm on the edge of the crib. "You will wake her!"

Tony smirked. Ziva probably couldn't hear it from the door, but Tali was making noises that sounded like snores. He grimaced, worried that soon, those sounds would grow louder, echoing her mother. "Trust me when I tell you, I'm not going to wake her," he said as he waved Ziva in.

She joined him and also seem mesmerized by their daughter. Gentle, she moved a plush corgi further to the edge of the bed. She smirked, looking at the collection their daughter had already acquired. That one was of course from Ducky, something he had ordered custom made from a local toy store.

She remembered their homecoming, two days after the birth. Gibbs, McGee and even the director had been kind enough to offer help in returning the baby furniture to the house the morning after. Abby and Ellie did the decorating, hanging curtains and making the bed in the crib. When Ziva and Tony arrived home, Delilah, the Palmers and Ducky had put together a light lunch where they showered Tali with gifts.

It was Delilah who explained that Tim had inadvertently started it all. "He was telling me that she once described Tony as a porcupine and he saw it and couldn't resist."

"It was just my hair that resembled it," Tony had corrected her, shooting daggers at McGee, who only gave him a wide, faux innocent smile.

Abby had taken the idea and ran with it, encouraging them all to get Tali a stuffed toy. Her contribution was a German Shepard she called Jethro. "After the dog that McGee shot," she explained, tossing Tim a dark look that wiped the smirk off his face.

Adding insult to injury, Ducky had bought Tali the corgi, with the added bonus of sound that mimicked the canine. Tony had touched the button and nearly threw the thing across the room when it made the sound, to the amusement of everyone. He had ended up deciding to call it Kate.

The one Leon Vance brought with him was a little more conventional in the sense of stuffed animals. It was a teddy bear sporting a pair of boxing trunks and gloves. That made Tony laugh, telling their boss about the time he and Gibbs went a round in the ring.

It was a piece of information that the director didn't seem to know already. He even seemed impressed that DiNozzo lasted a round. A chuckle from the corner drew everyone's attention. "Not exactly a round. I leveled him in one punch," Gibbs revealed to the others who had not heard the story.

"Well, when you're feeling up to it, you want to try again?" Vance asked him, to which Tony nervously begged off.

Ellie presented Tali with another teddy bear, this one wearing a Ohio State helmet and jersey. "I felt safe since they haven't played each other in nearly a decade," she told him.

"Aww, thank you, Bishop. And just for your information, the Buckeyes hold a two-nil lead in head to head," Tony said, making Ellie scowl.

Ziva wasn't entirely surprised that Gibbs had not joined in this gift-giving, even though Abby grumbled a bit. In the end, it did not matter to either her or Tony who gifted their daughter with what. She appreciated the thought, but she also did not want Tali spoiled, even at such young an age.

Now, Ziva adjusted some of the creatures surrounding her, as Tony's eyes remained locked where they had been. There was still so much wonder about everything that had happened, not just the fact that he had a daughter, but that Ziva had come back, to him and all of them. They were a team again, the way they had always worked well together. "You know what this feels like?" he asked her at last.

"What what feels like?" She didn't understand the question.

"Parenthood. The closest thing I can compare it to is protection detail," Tony said. "Watching over her, keeping her safe. That feels like the best way to describe it." He stood up finally, rethinking his words. "But that feels so...impersonal, you know?"

Ziva understood what he was saying and agreed with his final assessment. "It is good training, in a way. Assess oncoming dangers, take steps to minimize fallout from the danger. But this time, the cargo is far more precious to both of us."

"Great, we're not even a week in and already think like agents. When she hit her teens, she'll find us unbearable," Tony grumbled.

"You will not have her locked in a tower by then?" Ziva asked teasingly.

"That's not what I said, just that I can already see the teenage tantrums being hurled at us," he countered, eyes narrowed in her direction.

Ziva tugged on his arm. "Then we should not start if we do not wish it to become habit in another thirteen years."

He went willingly, taking a last look at the handmade crib their daughter slept in. When he reached the threshold, he pulled Ziva into his arms. "Well, the first stage of the mission is complete and I think we deserve a little R&R."

"I do not foresee us resting or relaxing for a long time," Ziva sighed, disappointed.

"Oh, no, I mean, I get what you mean, I just was talking about baby. Yeah, the song goes 'First comes love, then comes marriage, then come baby in the baby carriage,'" Tony clarified. "Well, we sort of had a few steps to love…"

"Annoyance, bickering, threats to kill," Ziva listed.

"A few stops at jealousy," Tony added. "I admit I was jealous of you and CIA Rey...and Michael…" He looked anywhere but at her for a moment, "but I saw the green-eyed monster rear its head in you with Jeanne."

Now it was Ziva who looked away. "It was just...you were being caged about all of it and I was seeing a side of you I had not expected. And I know it did not end as an act."

"So naturally, we go the baby route before the marriage route. And that, my dear, is what I was referring to. The next mission, and you have already accepted it," he nodded to her engagement ring while his voice took on a tone that she figured referred to some show he watched when he was young, "is a wedding. But, like I was saying, we really should get through the first months of this before tackling a wedding."

"Actually," she said, slightly embarrassed, "I was thinking we should think of a date. No rush, of course, and nothing firm, but at least think about it."

"Oh, and you have some ideas?"

She smiled seductively, and he melted. "I think we should retire and make ourselves comfortable for this...negotiation, yes?"

"I have to agree with that," he said as she made her way down the hall, her fingers intertwined with other on his injured side. The sling was off, but he still felt a slight bit of pain, something he was sure she could alleviate. As they reached their room, however, a thought popped into his brain. "But I thought you said I was never touching you again?"

The door closed a he let out a squeal of pain, as her fingers nearly crushed his in her grasp.


End file.
